The Dream World
by Darien Fawkes
Summary: As Rhinosnore attacks, the Rangers learn exactly how much you can learn from a person's dreams, especially when forced to face their own.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **I'll be taking more than a few liberties with the storyline this time round, even though I loved the latest episode. Hope you all like it.

**Legal:** I do not own Power Rangers or the associated names, places, events etc. Anything not covered by the above rights should be considered purely the creation of the author.

Mia was sitting with Antonio in her room of the Shiba House. Since the latest attack, the Rangers had been given a couple of very pointed and direct lessons, not least of which was a stark reminder that even the seemingly weakest of Master Xandred's Nighlock could present a real danger to them. Now, more than ever, they could only expect something. The atmosphere was already heavily charged, and they could feel something coming.

Mia's Turtle Zord was the last one needing to be programmed into the Black Box. It had taken Antonio a long time to figure out the secrets to programming it. He had always said it was the ultimate hack job, a challenge that eclipsed any he had undertaken but even he hadn't been prepared for it. It was like trying to decipher a computer, but one that had no components even remotely like any other, that operated in a different language, and with no instruction manual. Every inch of it was a trial and error voyage of discovery. However, he had finally figured out that the best results came when the Zords aligned with him, and they cooperated, acting as one with him.

However, that was also a difficulty. He had managed to programme in the Dragon Zord before he had figured out the real secret, but he understood that was largely down to Kevin's nature. The Zords spirits closely began to align with the Ranger they were assigned to, and their demeanour and mentality started to represent that. Kevin would do anything for the Samurai, regardless of the cost and without question. The Dragon Zord was just the same, it never resisted him as he transferred it. The others, he had a pretty good grasp of. He ended up in time figuring out just what emotions and thoughts worked best to coax them into trusting him. Mia though was a whole other story, which was why they were both excused from training. Mentor Ji had made finishing work on the box their only priority.

The room was bathed in pink light, as Mia held her power disk in her hands, as a beam between his morpher and the disk. He was struggling as he tried, feeling it resisting him. It always drained him when he used so much symbol power, but the fact that the Turtle Zord was still resisting him only made it worse.

Mia looked to Antonio, seeing him struggling, and it hurt her to see him in so much discomfort. She knew that the Turtle Zord had picked up on her own guarded nature, and withdrew into its shell so to speak. Antonio saw the beam starting to make its way to the Black Box, and got a little bit of a smile as he allowed himself to hope that it was working, but eventually he saw it start to fold.

"No, no no..." He began as the beam sparked, before disappearing. He threw down his morpher on the bed. "Damn it!"

He looked to Mia, and bit his lip in frustration, shaking his head, before lying back. Now that he knew about the pregnancy, he was a lot more understanding about why Mia kept so much of herself private. He could guess that there were a lot of genuinely painful memories in her past. He didn't want to fight with her, but it was frustrating that her own nature was preventing them from unlocking the power of the Black Box, something he was sure that they would need.

"You can say it." Mia told him. Antonio just sighed and lay on the bed, his hands over his eyes.

"Say what?" He asked her.

"It's my fault." She muttered. Antonio just shook his head.

"Mia, I didn't say that." He told her.

"You don't have to." She replied, gathering up a jacket. "I'm going out..."

"Mia, we have to..."

"We've been at this for three hours now!" She reminded him. "We're getting nowhere."

With that, she stormed out of the room. Antonio tried to go after her, but a major head rush forced him back down. He wasn't following her any time soon.

Meanwhile, over on Master Xandred's Junk, the Lord of the Nighlocks was in an even fouler mood than normal. It had taken him a while to recover from his exertion in the battle to retain authority over the Nighlock. Not only had Kenzo's move for the throne been costly to him in terms of power and resources, it had also left Dekker with Urumasa once more.

"What news do you have of Dekker?" Master Xandred asked Dayu. She stopped playing her Shamisen as she heard him say this. Although she had indeed seen him since he had reclaimed Urumasa, Master Xandred didn't know that. She had presumed that he would assume she was unaware of his where abouts as well. "You two were always able to run into each other."

"I have not seen him since the battle." She lied, hoping that Xandred would believe her.

"Well, I haven't seen too much progress on your mission to destroy him." Xandred said sarcastically. "After all, would it not be best to destroy him while he was weakened?"

"I can't very well destroy him if I don't know where he is now can I?" She asked him. She looked to the floor sadly. "I may have known him once, but he is not that man anymore. You saw to that."

Master Xandred fired a blast at her, which hit her Harmonium, setting it on fire. Dayu rushed to pat out the flames, but it was too late. The instrument was already ruined.

"My Harmonium!" She screamed, tears beginning to run down her face. "It's ruined!"

One of the things that few people were privy to was just how much the instrument truly meant to her. Although it had changed when she was turned into a Nighlock, it had been a Shamisen that Dekker had given her. It was the only thing he ever had given her. With its destruction, combined with the fact that the last time he had seen her, it was clear that he no longer recognised her, her heart broke. There truly was no hope for her.

"Master Xandred please!" Octoroo called out, interjecting himself between Dayu and Master Xandred. She knew though that his attempt to protect her had less to do with altruism, and more to do with his fear that she would reveal his part in creating Kenzo. "We can still use her..."

"Just go ahead and destroy me if you must!" Dayu sobbed. "Since I became a Nighlock, my life has been nothing but misery!"

"I tire of you." Master Xandred told her. "But I do not tire of your misery."

Dayu just got up and left, disappearing into a gap, taking her ruined Harmonuim with her.

"Let her go!" Master Xandred stated, reaching for more of his medicine. "She'll be back. You know she has no choice in the matter. Besides, the perfect Nighlock..."

"Arachteor?" Octoroo asked. Master Xandred just shook his head.

"No, you know as well as I do he's disappeared somewhere." He interrupted him. "No, I have someone else in mind."

Jayden came into the house, finding Antonio sitting on the couch, a cup of coffee in his hands. Jayden just smiled seeing this.

"Wow, you and coffee, that can't be good." Jayden chuckled. "Mia said you were working hard."

"Yeah, that Turtle Zord's really kicking my ass." Antonio told him. "She's still resisting."

Jayden furrowed his brows as he heard him saying this. He knew that Mia's nature made it harder to programme the Black Box. It was the reason he hadn't managed it before now.

"I thought she was helping you." Jayden commented. "She said she was going into town for stuff to make dinner because you were working so hard."

"More like she stormed out." Antonio said, shaking his head. "I didn't mean anything..."

"What happened?" Jayden asked him.

"She thinks I blame her." He answered. "I know it's frustrating for me, but what Mia's going through...I can't possibly imagine. I really don't want to push her."

"It's hard; I know you don't want to harm your friendship." Jayden agreed, sitting with him.

"You want to know what I think?" Antonio asked him. "I think Mia's not being straight with us about what that Nighlock made her face. I think there's more to the story."

"I think you're probably right." Jayden agreed. Just then, a Gap Sensor sounded.

"Alright, time to...whoa..." Antonio said, trying to stand up.

"Maybe you should just catch up to us." Jayden suggested as he left the room.

In the city, Mia was taking a walk to try and clear her mind. She knew how important it was that they programme the Black Box. She didn't want to hold the team back, but it was just so hard. Although as a result of the latest attack, the others now knew about her pregnancy, only Kevin knew the full story. It was just too hard for her to face.

She knew she could trust the other Rangers; she placed her life in their hands on a daily basis. It was her heart she didn't like trusting others with. She hated being vulnerable, even with her best friends, her family.

As she rounded a corner, she heard a few screams, and her attention was taken to Dayu, who was holding a busker. She didn't know why the Nighlock wanted him, all she knew was that given her past experiences with Dayu, she was not the most stable of individuals, and if she didn't act, then the man would likely be destroyed.

"Let him go!" Mia screamed as she ran to the attack, morphing as she went. Dayu saw the Pink Ranger coming and deflected her first attack.

"This is none of your business Pink Ranger!" Dayu snapped. "I need this man!"

"Sorry, but I'm making it my business." Mia responded. "I'm just rude that way."

Just as they started to get going, another Nighlock showed up. He looked to Dayu, who seemed to be just as surprised as Mia was to see him.

"Rhinosnore, what are you doing here?" Dayu screamed.

"I'm here on Master Xandred's orders." He told her. "Nighty night!"

He fired a kind of mist towards them, which Mia avoided. Given the spell the last Nighlock had used, she didn't want to take any chances with this one. Dayu also seemed keen to avoid the spell, shoving the busker in the way. He caught the mist full in the face, and just slumped to the ground. Mia looked to him, seeing that oddly, he was actually smiling, and snoring.

"This is Master Xandred's wake up call." Dayu replied. "I'm not coming back!"

She picked up the human busker as Rhinosnore started to battle with the Rangers. Mia noticed this and took off in hot pursuit.

"Mia!" Emily called out. She just looked to where the guys were fighting.

"We'll be fine." Jayden assured her. "Go help Mia."

Emily just nodded and ran off after the Pink Ranger.

Jayden smashed the Nighlock away with his spin sword, creating to the distance the Rangers needed to regroup.

"Time to turn out the lights!" Rhinosnore stated. Just then, he was sent staggering by a hail of flying fish.

"Antonio, are you sure you're up to this?" Jayden asked as the Gold Ranger arrived. He was deeply worried about how much programming the Black Box had taken out of him. Antonio just smiled at him.

"I'll be fine." He replied. Just as he turned back though, he caught a faceful of Rhinosnore's mist. He slumped to the ground, grinning inanely.

"Aw now." Kevin muttered, seeing this.

"Not a good time to take a nap buddy." Mike chipped in.

"He won't wake up until I say so!" Rhinosnore told them. "The longer he dreams, the tastier he'll be."

"That's not going to happen!" Jayden snapped, rushing forward. Rhinosnore dodged the attack though, and leapt into the air, before disappearing into a portal that opened up in Antonio's chest. Jayden de-morphed, coming to Antonio's side.

"Come back here!" Jayden screamed. Mike came to his side.

"Wait, what just happened?" Mike asked him.

"That was Rhinosnore, I've read about him." Kevin told them. "He seals people into a dream world, and he...he devours their life force in the dream world."

"He traps people in their dreams?" Mike asked him. Jayden nodded.

"The ancient Samurai said the dreams he conjured were so wonderful people would never want to wake up." Kevin continued. "Once they're in there, they're helpless."

"I don't buy that, not for one moment!" He answered, pulling out his samuraiser. "Don't worry, Antonio, we're coming for you."

In the forest on the edge of town, Mia had caught up with Dayu and managed to knock the busker off her shoulder. Dayu had no choice but to fight her.

"You have an annoying habit of meddling in my business Pink Ranger." Dayu told her.

"Keep hurting people, and I'll keep stopping you!" Mia called out. Just then, Rhinosnore leapt out of a portal and landed beside them both.

"Two for the price of one, now that's a deal!" Rhinosnore stated. "Nighty night ladies!"

With that, he blasted them both. Mia couldn't keep her eyes open, and they both fell to the ground.

Mia woke up, finding herself on the ground, and looked around, finding no one around. There was no sign of Dayu, or Rhinosnore. She started to rub her eyes as she tried to get her bearings.

"I guess our suits protect us." She commented. Just then, she heard something a little way off. She furrowed her brows as she heard it. Following the noise, she happened upon a pram a little way from her in the shade of some trees.

She approached it, coming to the side of the pram, feeling her heart racing. Her hands trembled as she came to the side of the pram, and pulled down the awning. Inside, she saw a baby starting to stir and cry.

It was a tiny thing, possibly only days old, and wrapped in some blue blankets. She could see the skin tone, and her heart melted. She couldn't help smiling looking into his tiny face. She put her trembling hands into the pram and lifted the baby out, cooing to it as she held the baby to her chest. She couldn't believe what she was experiencing; she couldn't remember how many times she had wished for this.

"Shoosh Evan, it's alright." Mia told her son in a comforting whisper as she started to rock the baby gently to settle him. "Mommy's here."

Back at the site of the original battle, Jayden concentrated on his symbol power as he prepared to summon a portal to the dream world. He knew that the portal would not be open for long, so he knew that he wouldn't be able to follow. Mike and Kevin prepared for the mission ahead, knowing how important it was.

"Symbol Power!" He called out "Portal!"

Casting the symbol over Antonio's unconscious form, Jayden created the portal.

"Now!" Kevin shouted, at which he and Mike jumped through the portal, going into the dream world. Jayden felt himself weakening, and he fell to his knees, the portal vanishing.

"You're on your own guys." Jayden whispered. "Please hurry."

In the dream world, Kevin and Mike looked around, finding it completely unlike anything they expected. If anything, with the exception of the people around them playing out some of their fantasies, it was kind of like the real world.

As they wandered around, looking for Antonio, they finally saw him sitting by the edge of a lake. Mike called out.

"Hey Antonio, amigo!" He said, smiling as they started to come over. He didn't seem to be paying attention though. The Blue and Green Rangers started to run over, but Kevin slowed down as he saw someone else coming.

"Jayden?" He asked. "I didn't think he had come through."

Jayden handed a cup to Antonio as he looked out over the lake. Antonio smiled.

"I love the sunset." Antonio told him. Jayden sat down beside him and put his arm around him.

"Just the sunset?" He asked. Mike could see what was happening and looked to Kevin, who seemed more than a little taken aback. He knew that both Antonio and Jayden were gay, but he didn't think they were in a relationship. Jayden leant in closely as Antonio smiled.

"I love you." He said to the Red Ranger. Jayden just leaned in more closely.

"I love you too." Jayden told him. "And I don't care who knows."

With that, they kissed. Kevin just shook his head as he saw this.

"Wait, this is what Antonio's dreaming about?" Kevin asked. Mike just put a hand on Kevin's shoulder.

This is private, we shouldn't say anything." Mike told him. "But we need to convince him that this is a dream."

Just then, Kevin saw Rhinosnore a little way from them. He recognised Bulk from the time they had saved him and Spike from Dekker. It seemed that even in his dreams Bulk was deluded into believing he was a Samurai. He was in full armour, and appeared to be trying to take on the monster, but he couldn't get his sword out of his scabbard because of his...build.

"That'll have to wait." Kevin told him. "We have bigger problems."


	2. The Dream Warriors

Dayu woke up, finding herself in a deep, dark place. It was nothing but blackness all around her. She could remember Rhinosnore interrupting her battle with the Pink Ranger, but then, the next thing she remembered was turning up here.

Looking around, she tried to imagine what had happened. She knew about Rhinosnore, and what he could do. He was a particularly cruel and sadistic Nighlock, likely the reason Master Xandred had sent him after her, not once, but twice now.

Just then, she saw the ground before her starting to change. Lush, green grass formed beneath her and a little dust path formed beneath her. Following it up with her eyes, she saw a little cottage, surrounded by a simple wooden fence. She could see some pigs in the yard, happily grazing, and there were a few simple crops around.

The cottage itself was a simple thatched cottage, made out of wood. As she shifted to her knees, a hand was offered to her. She followed the arm up, and found Dekker looking down to her, wearing a brightly coloured kimono.

"I think that's why the groom is meant to carry his bride across the threshold." He told her. Dayu looked down, seeing that she was back in her human form, and wearing a beautiful, pure white wedding gown, just like the one she had always dreamed she would wear one day. On her hand was a simple, though elegant wedding ring. She took his hand and he helped her up, before scooping her up into his arms. He nodded in the direction of the little cottage. "It's not much, but I wanted to make the most of the land. I hope you like it."

Some thoughts occurred to her, appearing in her mind as the image completed itself. Despite his father's wishes, a local shogun had been desperately short of forces, and had put out a request for several local soldiers. His father couldn't refuse when a shogun specifically requested Dekker.

It seemed like years, but the campaign went quickly, and in the end, the shogun was victorious. Dekker in particular had distinguished himself on the battlefield, and had been gifted this land and a title as a military honour. It wasn't much, only a couple of acres, but it was more than enough for Dekker to build a farm that would suit their modest needs. Most of the money he had made already had another purpose. He had bought Dayu out of her father's service only days before the wedding and released her.

"It's perfect." She whispered, caressing his cheek softly with her hand, kissing him softly. "It's all we need."

As they went along the path though, Mia wandered out of some nearby woods, carrying Evan in her arms, singing to him happily; completely oblivious to what was going on around her. She stopped as she realised she was in completely unfamiliar surroundings. She had never seen this place before. Evan started to fuss in her arms.

"It's alright." She whispered, before starting to sing to him again. "Rock a bye baby on the tree top..."

Her words tailed off a little as she saw Dekker. She recognised him from the many times she had seen him. Although she feared for her son, she was curious. She had to know why he was here, especially since unlike any other time she had seen him, he didn't seem to be ready to fight. In fact, he was carrying a woman to a cottage, a woman wearing a wedding dress.

As she followed them, watching them go inside, she bobbed Evan gently, trying to keep him quiet.

In another part of the dream world, Bulk fumbled frantically with his sword as the Nighlock started to approach. He didn't know what was wrong. He had been training for longer than he could remember for this. He had practiced with a sword, sword on it to defend the innocent in times of need, but on this occasion, when he finally had the chance to use his skills in battle; his girth prevented him from even drawing his sword.

"Spike!" Bulk called out as he struggled with his sword, his eyes getting wider in his panic. "Spike, run!"

Just then, the Green and Blue Rangers leapt onto the scene, Kevin firing off a storm of blasts from his Hydro Bow, staggering the Nighlock. They landed between Bulk and Rhinosnore, standing in his defence.

"What happened? No one fights me in this world!" Rhinosnore screamed. "How?"

"We weren't brought here by your dreams." Kevin told him. "We're not trapped by them."

"That means we already know this is just a dream." Mike told him. "Which...I guess kind of explains him."

Bulk had been knocked onto his butt by their arrival, and was sitting staring at the scene in horror. He was completely helpless, his training was for nothing.

"I'm no samurai." He breathed. "I'm...I'm nothing. I'm a joke!"

"Say, what?" Kevin asked, finding himself momentarily distracted as Bulk grabbed his leg.

"I only wanted to help!" He said quietly, his lip quivering and his eyes starting to sparkle. "I worked hard, I really did!"

"Well, you're all in my world now." Rhinosnore yelled, stomping on the ground, smashing up the concrete. "Here you all play by my rules!"

They all flew up in the air, before crashing down on the ground, being buried by a hail of rubble.

"Alright, that was just harsh." Kevin wheezed as he struggled out of the rubble. "He didn't show that kind of power before."

"If you think that's power, wait till you see this!" He called out, sending a boulder the size of a small truck rolling their way. Mike and Kevin grabbed Bulk, and all three of them started running, but as they turned the corner, the boulder continued to follow them.

"OK, this is gonna suck!" Mike yelled as they ran for all they were worth.

On a plane on a trans-Atlantic flight, Peter was working on a laptop while Serena slept on the seat next to him. As she shifted a little on the seat, continuing to snore, he could see her smiling a little. He figured she had to be dreaming about something, and whatever it was seemed to please her. He didn't know what she was thinking about, but he presumed it was something to do with the fact that her quest seemed to be fast approaching its end, and that it would lead her almost right back home.

He had talked to her a little in their time together, and he knew how important her home and her family were to her. He knew that she had longed to go home for a long time, and that she was eager to complete her quest. Thinking it was best to let her continue to rest, knowing that she would have the difficult job once they got to the airport, he turned his attention back to his own work.

He had already hacked the EBay account that the sword had been sold from, and tracked down the shipping address and name. Now, he was looking for some information he could use to help them. After all, while they knew where the sword was, they still needed to get hold of it.

One fortunate fact about the situation was that he had an unusual name. Farquis Bulkmeyer wasn't exactly John Smith or James Jones that would appear a few thousand times in any phone book. That meant that he had found him referenced on websites. He compiled a few things about him into a document for easy reference, just as the stewardess arrived and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Sir, we're about to make final approach." She told him. "You'll have to shut down your computer."

Peter just nodded and started the shutdown procedure, looking out the laptop bag. He gently nudged Serena, rousing her.

"Leave me alone Em." She muttered, shifting a little in her seat. "It's not morning yet."

"Serena, we're about to land." He told her. She just groaned and tried to swat him away. He just laughed. "Serena, you need to fasten your seatbelt, the lights on."

"Alright." She sighed, straightening up in her chair and putting up the back. "How long?"

"It should only be about twenty minutes or so." He answered her, stowing his laptop away, before securing his seatbelt. "We're nearly there."

Back in the dream world, Dayu was waking up in her home, her husband by her side. She felt her heart racing as she saw him beside her, just looking at her lovingly. His touch was as gentle and warm as she had always remembered. He looked to her and smiled, and the light was starting to spill into their room from the nearby window.

"It's getting late." She told him.

"I didn't want to wake you." He answered her.

"Dekker, we can't just remain in here, we have a lot to do." She reminded him. "We can't just lie around all day."

"Are you saying you want to get up?" He asked her. She just smiled back at him as he started to stroke her back softly.

"I didn't say I wanted to." She replied. "I said we had to."

As she got up and started to get dressed, she couldn't believe how perfect her life was. They didn't have much, but they had enough. As she turned around though, her heart fell as Dekker looked to her, and there was no warmth in his expression. If anything, there was only confusion.

"Who are you?" He asked her. Her heart sank as she looked to him.

"Dekker?" She asked. "Dekker, it's me..."

Before she knew what was happening, he was on his feet, and fully dressed. In his hand, she could see a nodachi that filled her with a sense of dread, the aura of energy from it palpable.

"Dekker..."

"Urumasa is calling me." He told her, beginning to make his way to the door.

Mia made her way to the window on the other side, and saw Dayu and Dekker there. She could see the woman standing in his way, tearfully begging with him not to go.

"Dekker, it's me Dayu!" She shrieked. "You have to remember me, you have to!"

"Dayu?" Mia whispered, remembering the name. "No...it can't be!"

She looked around, snatching up a shamisen.

"You gave me this!" She continued. "You gave me this! Please, you have to remember!"

"Urumasa is hungry." He stated flatly. "Step aside."

With that, he brushed past her, making his way out the cottage. Dayu ran after him, falling to her knees and weeping uncontrollably.

"Dekker!" She screamed, turning into her Nighlock form, confirming her identity. Her Harmonium burst into flames, returning to its ruined state as the Nighlock wept. Mia just pulled back, crouching down by the rear wall of the house. She held onto Evan tightly.

"Dayu...she's in love with Dekker?" She asked herself. Evan started to fuss again, at which she turned her attention back to him. "It's alright Evan, mommy's still here. Just sleep like a good boy. Mommy's here."

Back at the battle in the dream world, Mike, Kevin and Bulk managed to get a little distance from the rolling boulder, and stopped to catch their breath. Kevin just looked to Mike.

"Okay, this is pointless." He commented. "How can we fight a whole world?"

"Why try?" Bulk asked him. "I'm pathetic; I never have been any good at this stuff, that's clear now..."

"Just stop with the pity party alright?" Mike snapped. "Okay, things look bad, but the thing we have to remember is..."

His words tailed off a little as he thought of something.

"What?" Kevin asked him. "What do we have to remember?"

"None of this is real." Mike said, a smile beginning to form as he thought about it. "Kevin, none of this is real!"

"Well it sure as hell felt real when he buried us before." Kevin muttered. Mike just shook his head.

"No, you don't get it!" Mike told him. Just then, the boulder reappeared and started to roll towards them. He could see Rhinosnore a little way off, laughing maniacally. Mike just ran, but instead of running away, he started to run towards the boulder.

"Mike, what the hell are you doing?" Kevin asked him.

"Something really brave or really stupid!" Mike called back. Just then, he concentrated hard. Everything around him started to shrink, or more accurately, he started to grow. He towered over the boulder as he reached it, and kicked it soccer style, smashing it into Rhinosnore. As Bulk and Kevin came back to his side, he shrank to normal size.

"OK, how did you do that?" He asked.

"This isn't the real world, it's the dream world!" He reminded Kevin. "That means the rules of the real world don't apply. This isn't reality, as long as we know that, we can shape it and bend the rules to suit ourselves. That's how Rhinosnore gets his power!"

"OK, you figured that out?" Kevin said, a little disbelievingly. "How did...?"

"I've seen 'The Matrix' like a zillion times." Mike interrupted him. "The second and third movies sucked, but I figured the rules would be the same."

"Alright, whatever." Kevin sighed. "Now, let's take this guy out!"

The Green and Blue Rangers ran back to the attack, at which Rhinosnore sent a barrage of rocks heading their way. However, as they ran towards the attack, the rocks simply disappeared, the Green and Blue Rangers simply willing them to disappear aware that they didn't exist. They hammered into the Nighlock several times. Rhinosnore fell to his knees, weakened.

"Alright, now it's time to finish this guy!" Mike called out.

"Allow me!" Bulk announced. Both Kevin and Mike looked to him, finding that now, he looked completely different. He was six feet tall, and his build was much more muscular. His girth was gone, and he appeared a lot more confident. Drawing his katana, the blade started to glow white-hot.

"Uh...ok." Kevin remarked. Bulk ran forward, slicing through Rhinosnore with a single stroke, at which the creature was destroyed. Kevin and Mike approached Bulk as his armour disappeared, and he turned back into his normal self.

"Alright, what just happened?" Kevin asked him.

"It's like the Green Ranger said, as soon as I believed it was a dream, I could control it." Bulk told them.

"But why'd you change back?" Mike asked him. He just sighed.

"Unfortunately, I know it's a dream." He replied as he started to fade out. "All dreams come to an end."

"Well thanks." Kevin told him. Bulk just smiled.

"Hey, I'm honoured to help the Samurai." He replied. "Even if it was only a dream."

With that, he disappeared completely. They watched as Spike also disappeared, but no one else seemed to be disappearing. Kevin and Mike De-Morphed.

"Wait, he was destroyed." Kevin commented. "So why is no one else disappearing?"

"I think I just figured it out." Mike told him. "Nighlock fill the Sanzu River with tears right?"

"Yeah." Kevin stated. "So?"

"What could cause greater heartache than to give someone their deepest, most desperate desires, only to take them away again?" Mike asked him. "Bulk and Spike realised it was a dream, so when Rhinosnore was destroyed, his dream ended."

"No one else knows it's a dream!" Kevin said, catching on to what Mike was thinking. "But...everyone is given their greatest fantasy..."

"Yeah, exactly." Mike told him. "Who would want to believe that was just a dream?"

"All this is just theory though." Kevin told him.

"Maybe not." Mike suggested. He ran to the edge of the lake, finding Antonio and Jayden together. They parted as they saw him, both of them smiling as they saw their friend.

"Hey, Mike." Jayden said as he saw the Green Ranger. "Antonio and I were just enjoying the sunset."

"I can see that." Mike said, looking to Antonio. "Look dude, none of this is real."

"What are you talking about?" Antonio asked him. Mike just sighed.

"You know that I saw you that other night." Mike told him. "You know that I know about you and Jayden."

Antonio's smile slipped as he heard him say this. Something about that seemed to ring true somehow.

"Mike, we're not..."

"Antonio, I know you want this." Mike told him. "And you know you want this too. You know what you mean to each other."

"Mike..."

"I know what I have with Emily, and I love the fact that we can be open with it." He told him. "I get it, I know this is what you want, but he isn't ready yet."

Mike put a hand on Antonio's shoulder comfortingly.

"You know that." He told him.

"I just want to be able to have more than a few stolen moments." Antonio sighed, shaking his head, before looking to Mike. "I want to be able to tell him how I feel in public. To not have him worry who'll see us. Is that really too much to ask?"

"He'll be ready some day." Mike said in response. "Just, not today. It's time to go back to the real world."

"But, if I do..."

"You might have this for real pretty soon." Mike convinced him. "Doesn't that sound better?"

Antonio just nodded his head, at which he and Jayden disappeared. Mike looked to Kevin who was standing a little way from him.

"So...they really are...?"

"You're not meant to know." Mike reminded him. "Let them tell you in their own time when we get back."

"So, what do we do?" Kevin asked him.

"We convince everyone else it's a dream." He replied. "Come on, it's time for some wake up calls."

In another part of the dream world, Mia held her son as she watched Dayu crouched weeping over her Harmonium. After a little while, she looked up.

The Nighlock could no longer feel the presence of power she had before. Something about this had changed. Her Nighlock half could tell when another Nighlock was near, and could feel that power. Now though, it was gone. All of a sudden, she remembered the real way events had gone.

"This is the dream world." She muttered. "I swear when I find that Nighlock, I'm going to turn him into ivory!"

With that, she disappeared. Mia just stared open-mouthed as she saw Dayu disappearing. What had happened? What was going on?

As she heard Evan fussing again, starting to struggle, she looked to her son and smiled. What did it matter what was happening? Who cared what trick Dayu was up to now? Looking down into his little face, she leaned in, kissing his forehead.

"Don't worry Evan; you're safe here with mommy." She told him. "I'm here, and I promise you, I'm never going away."


	3. Waking Up

In the Shiba House, Antonio started to stir, and came to, seeing Jayden sitting on a bean bag a little way from him. He looked overjoyed to see him waken, but also a little pale, and completely wiped out. As a result of his efforts with the Black Box, Antonio recognised the signs of the fatigue caused by extensive use of symbol power. He knew that Jayden was well versed in it, and his power was incredible, so if he looked that spaced, he had to have used a lot of power, likely to try and wake him.

"Jayden." Antonio said with a little smile. "Um...sorry, I guess I was sleeping on the job."

"I'll say you were." He replied. "I had to carry your heavy ass all the way back here." Jayden told him. "You need to lighten up on the snacks."

"Are you saying I'm fat?" Antonio chuckled, looking a little hurt. Just then, Antonio saw Emily coming in, heading to the other couch, where Mia was still lying, checking on her. He could see that her arm was bandaged up, and she had gotten cleaned up, indicating that she had seen some kind of action.

"Are you alright?" Antonio asked her. She just nodded.

"When Dayu woke up, Mia was still asleep. I had to fend her off." Emily informed him. "She got me pretty good, before she left. I guess she'd had enough or something, because she left that busker alone too."

The Pink Ranger looked completely dead to the world, and had been made comfortable. The main thing though was that by seeing her face, the smile on her lips, she was completely contented in her slumber. He figured that was only to be expected, given the nature of his own dream.

"She looks really happy." Antonio sighed.

"Yeah, that's not a good sign." Jayden agreed. "From what Ji told me, unless Rhinosnore turns up in his second life and we destroy him, the only way anyone will wake up is if they want their dream to end."

"I know its Wembley, but I don't care." He heard a mumble from a little way off. Antonio looked to a bed roll where a scruffy looking man in a heavy canvas coat and a pork pie hat was lying. "I'm not going on without a Strat."

"Who's...?"

"He's the busker Dayu kidnapped." Jayden told him. "People are starting to wake up all over town, but since Dayu tried to take him before, Emily called and asked me to help bring him here for safe keeping."

"I didn't have a choice." She answered. It wasn't common that the Rangers had visitors at the Shiba House, it was simply too great a risk that people would see something they weren't meant to.

"I have basically used up almost all my symbol power." Jayden reminded her. "Do you have any idea how much that guy weighs?"

"I can't help it if he's too big for me." Emily whined, but she smiled as she turned back to Mia. The Pink Ranger had been a struggle for her, but there was no way she'd have shifted the busker too. He was simply too big. There were times that it was definitely an advantage being the smallest.

"So, unless Rhinosnore shows up, the others have to convince everyone to come back?" Antonio asked.

"People are waking up all over town. It looks like Mike and Kevin are doing a good job." Jayden told him. "Still, I'd prefer it if there were something we could do."

Just then, the Gap Sensor sounded. Mentor Ji came in, pulling up an image on the computer table.

"Rhinosnore?" Antonio asked hopefully.

"No, but some giant Moogers just showed up." Mentor Ji told them. "Master Xandred must be taking advantage while we're weakened!"

"Right, then we've got to go." Jayden responded. Antonio just looked to him with a little concern on his face.

"Uh, you do realise you're a bit short-handed for a Megazord battle right Amigo?" He asked the Red Ranger.

"We can't sit here and do nothing." Jayden told him.

"Dude, Kevin and Mike are gone and Mia's still in the Dream World." Antonio reminded him, gesturing to Mia and the busker. "Someone has to stay and look after them anyway."

"Emily, stay here and assist me." Mentor Ji told her. "I'll need a hand here."

"I guess self-experimentation means I'm the best at first aid." She agreed, nodding as she tended to Mia.

"Antonio, only you can form a Megazord." Ji reminded him.

"I'm well rested to boot." Antonio said with a smile as he grabbed his morpher. "I'll be back once I've trimmed his horn."

"Fine, but we do this together." Jayden told him. "No one's battling alone."

Back in the dream world, Kevin and Mike were running around, finding people dreaming wherever they could, and trying to convince them that they were in a dream so that they would wake up. It wasn't easy for some of them, many people were really happy in the dreams they were having. Mike had only just convinced a guy that he hadn't really won the lottery and to go home to his kids while Kevin got another to realise that he still had months to go before his final exams, so he wasn't really a doctor.

"Alright, can you see anyone else?" Kevin asked. Mike heard some voices chanting, and turned to see a stadium a long way off. The laser lights and music indicated a concert was going on.

"I'm guessing that's someone's dream." Mike announced. "I'm on it."

As he left, Kevin then heard something a little way off. He turned around slowly, looking to a play park a little way from where he was standing. There, he could see some kids playing on the apparatus. He couldn't remember seeing any kids at the site of the battle, but the scene made more sense as he looked more closely, seeing Mia coming down a path towards the park, pushing a pram.

As he approached, he could hear her singing contentedly, and occasionally reaching into the pram, coming towards a park bench. His heart froze as he realised what this meant. It made sense; he didn't know how he couldn't have seen it coming. Mia's dream, her deepest and most desperate desire. Here, anything was possible, meaning that her son, Evan, was alive and well.

He saw Mia lifting a baby out of the pram and sitting on the bench. As he came closer, he could see how elated Mia was, just sitting there with Evan in her arms, watching the other kids playing. It tore him apart as he approached her. She looked up to him, smiling.

"Kevin." She whispered, pressing a finger to her lips to indicate to him to keep quiet. She turned her attention back to Evan. "I just got him to sleep."

Kevin sat down next to her, putting an arm around the woman he loved, dreading what was to come. Here, Mia was happy, happier than he could remember her being back in the real world. Now, if he wanted the woman he loved to return to the real world, he had to convince her to give that up.

Back at the Shiba House, Emily and Mentor Ji were tending to their sleeping patients, when there was a knock at the door. Mentor Ji just looked up, rolling his eyes. This wasn't exactly a great time for visitors, but he could tell by the frantic nature of the knocking that the person outside was unlikely to just give up and go away. He hoped that he could just dispense with them quickly and get back to work.

As he got to the door and opened it, he was slightly surprised to see Serena standing there.

"Mentor, we need to come in. She told him, making her way into the house, followed closely by Peter. Mentor Ji could remember that Daisuke had said he sent her with a companion, but he had never met Peter before. He could only assume that he was here on Daisuke's behalf.

"Serena?" He asked. "What are you...?"

"It's here!" She told him abruptly. "That damned sword you've sent me around the planet for's been on your doorstep the whole time!"

"Wait, Kasamune is here?" Mentor Ji asked her, completely confused. "It's here in...?"

"It was sold to some guy on EBay." Peter chimed in. "We tracked the address to a guy in the city."

Just then, Emily came into the room. She had heard Serena's voice from the kitchen, and lit up as she saw her sister. She ran up to her, almost knocking her clean off her feet, gripping her in a tight hug.

"Serena!" She screamed. "What are you doing here?"

"Uh...wondering why I wasn't expecting that." Serena chuckled as Emily climbed off her, letting her get up. "So how are things?"

"I'm afraid we will have to catch up later." Mentor Ji told them. "We have something of a situation here that requires our attention."

Back in the Dream World, Kevin sat with Mia as she held onto Evan, watching the other kids playing in the park.

"Mia, there's something we need to talk about." He told her.

"Can't it wait?" Mia asked him, looking down into the little bundle of blankets. He shook his head.

"I'm afraid not." He continued. "Mia, you know I love you right?"

"Of course." She said, looking to him. "I love you too. That's why I'm really happy you're here. What can be better than being here with my two favourite men?"

"Mia, this isn't real." Kevin sighed. "None of this is real."

"What are you talking about? Of course it's real." She answered, laughing a little. "What makes you say it isn't?"

"Mia, this is the Dream World." Kevin told her. "You were sent here by Rhinosnore's mist."

"Kevin, what are you talking about?" Mia asked him, reaching down the side of the bench, into a picnic basket that hadn't been there before. She handed him a sandwich. "You just don't know how to enjoy yourself if you're not swinging a sword around."

"Mia..."

"I mean, look at this, it's a beautiful day, the sun's shining, kids are playing, happy." She rhymed off. "And I'm here with the two people I love the most..."

"Mia!" He reiterated a little more forcefully. "It isn't real! It's all a dream!"

"I'll say it is." She replied. "Evan's been as good as gold. I guess he's taking after Antonio..."

"Mia, think about it, none of this adds up! It makes no sense!" He told her. "Just, think about it!"

"What do you mean...?"

"Well...where did this picnic come from?" He asked her. "It wasn't there two minutes ago."

"Yes it was, I made it this morning." She said, beginning to make shooshing noises as Evan started to stir.

"Mia, how can I be here?" He asked her. "I didn't know you two years ago!"

"Kevin, you're disturbing Evan." She told him as he started to fuss.

"What about that? Have you noticed how Evan's always sleeping when you're happy? How he only fusses when you're thinking about anything else?" He asked her. "It's part of the spell! It's to attract you back to the dream."

"Kevin, he's always been a sound sleeper..."

"Mia, I never met Evan. How can we both be here?" He asked her. She looked to him, a little stunned by what he had said. Evan started screaming a little more loudly.

"Kevin, you're upsetting him!" She protested.

"Mia, Evan's dead." He said a little dejectedly. "He died before I even met you. He was premature and he died three days after he was born."

"Does this sound like he's dead?" Mia screamed at him, indicating to the baby as tears ran down her face. "You're scaring him! Why are you...?"

"Mia, I don't want to hurt you, that's the last thing I'd ever want to do, but you can't stay here." He told her. "I know it's cruel, and it's unfair and you have to believe, if there was any way that I could make this not true, then I would gladly give you anything, but the one thing I can't give you is Evan."

"But Evan's right here!" She screamed at him again. Kevin just got down on his knees before Mia, looking into her eyes.

"Mia please, this isn't real, you know it isn't. I can see it in you." He told her. "You had the same mental training I have. You know when you're being deceived by magic."

He started to stroke her shoulder softly.

"I hate doing this to you, but you need to come back." He told her.

"Why do I have to?" She sobbed. "It's not fair!"

"I know it's not fair. It never was." He told her. "But you know the only person keeping you here is yourself. I understand, I really do. If I was under the spell...I'd be winning the Olympic gold medal I always dreamed of. I'd want to stay, but I could leave because I know that one day, I could get that dream for real."

He looked to her sympathetically.

"You know that your dream is something you can never have." He told her. "Evan's gone, and no matter how much you want that to change, nothing can ever bring him back. And yet, here he is right in your arms."

He reached out his hands, looking to her as a few tears fell from his own eyes.

"I love you Mia, and I can't leave you here. I need you. The others need you." He told her. "Please, give him to me."

"I don't want to." She murmured. "Once I let go..."

"I know." He whispered. "Please."

Mia looked to her screaming son, her heart aching as she leant down and kissed him. Slowly, reluctantly, she handed the baby over to Kevin, at which it vanished. She fell forward onto Kevin, weeping into his shoulder. He just held her as they both faded, leaving the Dream World behind.

Back in the Shiba House, Kevin flew out of a portal that opened up over Mia, landing on a heap on the floor, just as she started to stir.

"Kevin!" Emily called out. He didn't stop to pay attention to anyone, instead rushing to Mia's side. As she awoke, she couldn't speak, and her tears started to fall. Kevin just took her in his arms to comfort her.

"I think perhaps it is best we check on our other guest." Mentor Ji suggested. He took Emily through to the kitchen, where Mike, Peter and Serena were sitting with the busker. Mike had convinced him that it was a dream, and brought him back a little while ago, but Mentor Ji had noticed that the man seemed a little woozy, and wanted to keep an eye on him for an hour or so. He was just sipping some tea as the others kept him company.

"So...what did that freaky monster girl want with you?" Mike asked him. The busker just shook his head.

"I don't know, that was just plain weird." He told him. "One minute, I was just trying to earn an honest buck, the next some monster lady's saying I can repair her instrument."

"Her instrument?" Serena asked him. Unbeknownst to the others, she had already learned of Dayu's past at the Tengen Gate. She knew that the Shamisen was an important part of her past. She was made to play it for the family she served, but it existed as one of her few sources of happiness. He just nodded.

"Yeah, she had some burned-out guitar thing." He explained. "She said I had a musical soul and that she could use that to repair it."

"It's just as well the Rangers showed up." Emily stated.

"That's for sure." He replied with a nod. He tried to get up to go, but he slumped back to the seat.

"Wait, you just slept for hours." Mike commented. "Why's he still tired?"

"I do not believe his fatigue is down to lack of rest." Mentor Ji stated, looking to the busker's gaunt, pale face and dishevelled appearance. "When was the last time you ate?"

"About...a day and a half ago." He told them. "I'm on the streets, that's why I was busking."

"Mike, Emily, fix him something to eat." Mentor Ji told them, looking to the busker. "I know someone at a nearby shelter. I think I can get you a bed. It'd only be for tonight..."

"Thanks." The busker replied. "I appreciate it."

Meanwhile, out in the city, Jayden and Antonio were wandering back slowly to the Shiba House. Antonio was feeling alright, but he was concerned for Jayden. He had looked drained before the battle, but now, he was worried as to whether or not he would even make it home.

"Alright, let's rest up a little." Antonio suggested, seeing a low wall. Jayden knew that Antonio was just suggesting it so that he would rest, but he was too tired to really argue. He sat with the Gold Ranger, taking some deep breaths.

"Some day huh?" He asked. Jayden just nodded.

"I guess we can safely say that Master Xandred's back." Jayden replied. "I was hoping Kenzo had taken a bit more out of him."

"Weren't we all?" Antonio asked in response.

"So, what did you dream about?" Jayden asked him. Antonio just looked to him a little curiously.

"You want to know?" Antonio asked him. Jayden just nodded.

"Yeah, I'm curious." Jayden asked him. "They say that Rhinosnore's dream world creates dreams so great no one wants to leave. So...what did you want?"

Antonio considered telling Jayden, but he remembered what Mike had said. Jayden would become comfortable enough with their relationship to be open with it in time, and he didn't want to force the issue.

"I won the fish of the year trophy." Antonio told him. "I caught a 100 lb swordfish."

"Wow, even in the Dream World you have fish on the brain." Jayden chuckled, shoving him playfully. Just then, they heard a noise. A nearby roller door started to rise slowly.

They saw a pair of boots walking into view, and as the door rose further, they saw the bottom of a set of white robes, very familiar white robes.

Antonio and Jayden snapped to their feet, turning to face the door as it raised further, revealing Dekker standing before them. His eyes were cold, focussed and unblinking, locked on Jayden. His face was blank and expressionless. He unravelled Urumasa from his canvas roll.

"Now?" Antonio asked. Jayden didn't answer though, his gaze locked with The Cursed Warrior's. Dekker held up Urumasa, running his fingers along the handle slowly.

"Why do you want to face him now?" Antonio asked. Jayden wavered a little on his feet, clearly not at full strength, but showing as much strength as he could before him. His heart raced as Dekker drew the cursed blade, levelling it towards Jayden.


	4. The Search for Bulk

**A/N:** An important note, the events of this chapter are all taking place at the SAME TIME as Jayden and Antonio running into Dekker. The duel will not be covered here, I'm waiting on the episode to deal with that. Hope you enjoy it.

Kevin had taken Mia into her room after she came back from the dream world. None of the others knew why, but given how distraught she seemed to be when she woke up, they all figured that she needed some time and some privacy.

While Mike and Emily attended to their "guest", the busker that had been rescued from Dayu, Serena, Peter and Mentor Ji assembled in the Living Room for some privacy to discuss the progress of their mission.

Mentor Ji just paced the room as he rubbed his temples, hearing their tale. He knew that they had been out of contact for a while when Daisuke had contacted him, and he had heard from Hayley about the Interpol raid on the ship. It was only then that Serena was filling him in on everything else. From their abduction, which they now believed to be an arrest, and eventual escape after being interrogated as suspected terrorists. However, it was the last part that was really giving him a headache.

He had always felt terrible about tasking Serena with the quest to find Kasamune. She had only just had her life returned to her, it didn't seem fair to ask her to risk losing a life that had been gifted to her, but it was Daisuke's greater knowledge of the secret Samurai legends that convinced him it needed to be her. Although they had numerous agents at their command that could have been used, Daisuke had insisted only Serena could do it, believing her to be the next Blessed Warrior, the one who would be considered worthy of wielding the magical blade.

He had known that the journey would be long, and had counted on it getting dangerous, especially as they started to find out where some of the suspected swords were being kept, and that Octoroo had also learned of the quest. Now though, they were a step ahead. He had figured after the Kenzo disaster the cowardly Nighlock would be keeping a low profile lest Master Xandred found out about his part in his creation. That had afforded them a window of opportunity to get ahead of him on the quest.

"So, let me get this straight." Mentor Ji sighed as he tried to get his mind around the last little bit of information they had been given. "Kasamune, the sword we've been searching for for months, one of the greatest weapons ever created...was sold on eBay for fifty dollars?"

"We've been searching?" Serena asked, a little exasperated. Although she was grateful for all the help they had given her on the quest, for the most part she had always been on her own in the field. She was the one dodging bullets and blades whenever they got too close to the swords, none of which turned out to be the right one. Peter just nudged her to rein her in. Serena just looked to him, before looking to Mentor Ji. "Yeah, that's what it looks like."

"To anyone but the Blessed Warrior it won't come out of its scabbard. The guy that sold it was probably glad to be rid of it." Peter explained. "They probably thought it was a piece of junk."

When he said it like that, it sounded like a pretty reasonable theory. A Masamune sword would be worth millions of dollars, just one of the reasons they were so hard to track down and attain, since those that owned them could hardly be convinced to just hand them over. However, if someone owned a sword they couldn't even remove from the scabbard, it wasn't really unreasonable to think that they'd presume it was either a fake or broken.

"According to the account, the sword was sold months ago." Serena told him.

"I'm sure by now the new owner will have tried to draw it." Mentor Ji said thoughtfully, playing with his cane as he considered this new information. "Perhaps that can be to our advantage."

"If the new owner thinks he's been ripped off and it's just a piece of junk..."

"Then perhaps we can get it back more easily than we thought." Mentor Ji concluded. "We just offer him a fair price, and he'll probably be glad to be rid of it."

"We have to find him first." Peter told him. Mentor Ji just furrowed his brows.

"I thought you said..."

"We tracked the mailing address to this city." Serena told him. "We swung by there on our way from the airport, but when we got there, the place was empty. One of his neighbours said that he had moved out a while back without leaving a forwarding address."

"So we're back to having no idea where he is!" Mentor Ji said, his frustration becoming evident.

"Fortunately his name isn't exactly common." Peter said, showing him his lap top. Serena smiled a little seeing this. He was no Samurai, no fighter, and there were many times she wondered if he was more of a hindrance than a help, but every time things started to look bleak, he seemed to think of something that just pulled back some hope. She had no idea how he did the things he did with computers, her knowledge of them extended about as far as turning it on and sending an e-mail or IM.

"Wait, the Cell service?" She asked him.

"I managed to track a cell phone contracted to Farquis Bulkmeyer in the city." He told them. "According to his call record, he continued to make and receive calls here even after he moved out of his house."

"That means he's still in the city somewhere." Serena said, throwing an arm around him.

"Alright, so we know that much, but it has been some time since we saw Dekker." Mentor Ji told them. "There is something in the air, I can feel it. Dekker will return and I fear it will be soon. We need that sword!"

"What sword?" They heard a voice from the door ask. They all turned to see Emily walking in, looking around at them.

"Emily..."

"How long have you been...?"

"I just came to ask if you had more soy sauce." She told them. "Did I hear right? You're looking for a sword that can beat Dekker?"

Serena looked to Mentor Ji, before making a judgement call.

"That's right Emily." Serena told her. "That's what I've been doing all these months. I've been trying to find Kasamune."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Emily asked, looking more than a little angry with the way everyone had been so secretive. "If we'd known, we'd have helped!"

"That is exactly why we tried not to involve you." Mentor Ji told her. "If Master Xandred had known what we were doing, he might have tried to get it first. Not to mention that you were needed here, that's why I asked Serena to go."

"Emily, I'm so sorry, I wanted to tell you..."

"You're my sister!" Emily screamed. "If you told me not to say anything do you really think I would have?"

"Hey, what's going on?" Mike asked as he came in to see what all the screaming was about.

"How much did you hear?" Peter asked him.

"Just the last part about Emily screaming at Serena." Mike told them, closing the door. "Unless you want our guest to hear, I suggest you keep it down, now what's this about?"

"They've been looking for some sword they thought could beat Dekker!" Emily told him. "Even my own sister couldn't tell me."

"Emily, I said I'm sorry, I didn't want to keep this from you." Serena assured her. "Please, believe me..."

Mike turned Emily towards him and looked her in the eyes.

"Emily, I don't know what this is about, and I'm not happy about all the secrets." He told her. "But if this could help Jayden, maybe we should listen."

He then turned to them, giving them all a dark look. He wasn't joking when he said he was just as angry as Emily that they had kept secrets from them.

"Alright, so why are you here?" He asked them.

"We tracked the sword, and it turns out it was sold on eBay to a guy that lives here." Peter told them. He could see they were confused by the eBay mention. "It's a long story."

"Fine, so do you know where?" Mike asked shortly. Emily was still sulking a little about the fact her sister hadn't told her about this.

"We checked out the guy's place and apparently he hasn't lived there in a couple of months." Serena sighed. "All we know is he's still in this city somewhere. Who'd have thought it would be so hard to find a guy named Farquis Bulkmeyer?"

Emily and Mike just stared at each other, their mouths open in shock as they heard the name, before turning to them all, looking at them like they were insane.

"Bulk?" They chorused together. Mentor Ji just looked astounded.

"You know him?" Mentor Ji asked. Emily just nodded.

"Yeah, he and his nephew..." She tailed off, remembering about the embarrassing situation involving Spike's Facebook page dedicated to Mia. "He has a clubhouse in the city."

Serena got onto her knees before her sister, taking her hands in her own.

"Emily, I'm really sorry about this." She told her. "I know you're mad at me, but please, this is important. You have to tell me where to find him."

Meanwhile, in her room, Mia was lying on the bed, Kevin holding her softly in his arms. For a long time, they had just been lying in silence, Mia getting the tears out of her system.

As he held her, Kevin felt every breath she made as he held her comfortingly. He was glad to be with her at this time, but he dreaded what she would have to say when she finally did speak. While the other Rangers knew about Mia's pregnancy, he was the only one that knew the details, that she had actually given birth only to lose her son days later.

When he found her in the dream world, holding Evan in her arms, she had been happier than he had ever seen her. Seeing how happy she was, it killed him to know that he had no choice but to convince her that it was a dream and to give him up in order to wake up and return to the real world.

He felt terrible at being the one to try and get her to give him up, to take that dream away from her. Unlike many of the others he and Mike released, she couldn't be reassured by the thought that one day they could attain their dreams for real, in Mia's case that wasn't possible. Evan was gone, and no matter how much she wanted it to be otherwise, that would never change. He felt a bit selfish that he wanted her back. As much as he knew there was a part of Mia that wanted to stay in the one place she could have her son back, there was a part of him that wanted her to stay, even if it meant he lost her.

"He was beautiful, wasn't he?" Mia asked. Kevin just felt his heart breaking as she asked him that.

"Yes, he was." Kevin agreed.

"When he was born, he was so tiny and frail; they needed to put him in an incubator." She recalled, pulling his arms around her. "I was there when..."

He just held her as she took a deep breath.

"I couldn't even hold him. I could only touch him through a little hole in the side of a plastic box." She told him. When he went..."

"Mia, you don't have to." Kevin told her. "If this is too hard..."

"I can't remember how long it was before I could hear a baby cry without bursting into tears." She told him. "Or how long it was before I could bring myself to walk past a play park or a toy store. I kept imagining what he might have been like."

He wished there was something he could say or do that would make it easier for her. He just couldn't think of anything.

"After all the costs and everything, we had no money for college, so I went back to work and training." She told him. "It kept my mind off it for the most part, but...I just always wondered what could have been. I guess a part of me always will."

The others had teased Mia more than a little about her obsession with weddings and romantic comedies and the concept of happy endings. Now though, he wanted nothing more for her than to give her everything and anything he could to help her towards that. He couldn't give her back what she had lost, but he was willing to give anything he could and spend as long as he lived trying.

She turned towards him, looking up to him and pulled him in, kissing him softly.

"Thank you." She whispered as she lay with him. "You have no idea how much this has meant to me. To be able to talk about this."

"You'll always have me." He whispered, holding her head to his chest. "Always."

As Serena, Peter, Mike and Emily went into the city to head to Bulk's clubhouse, Mentor Ji returned to the kitchen, finding to his surprise, the busker was still there, massacring his fifth portion of chicken noodles. He knew that the man was homeless, and so he had offered to get him a meal, and call the local shelter to get him a bed for the night. Unfortunately, as a result of the meeting with Serena and Peter, he had forgotten to make the call. He looked to the clock, and groaned as he realised that it was too late. The shelter generally filled up early, and it was now after six, meaning that it was unlikely he would get a bed.

"I'm sorry; I forgot to call my friend at the shelter." Mentor Ji told the busker regretfully. The man just shrugged as he slurped some more noodles.

"No biggie." He mumbled through his food. "You got me all this awesome food. I can't remember the last time I ate this well."

"Mike does know his way around a wok." Mentor Ji conceded. "I still feel badly though."

"Seriously, don't." The musician replied, finishing his bowl and shoving it aside. "I guess the spot under the overpass should still be good..."

"I have an out building out the back." Mentor Ji told him. "I did promise you a bed."

Mentor Ji wanted to fulfil his promise; it was as much a part of his upbringing as his skill with a sword that he always fulfil his obligations. It was a matter of honour. Of course, he was also appreciative of the fact that this man was still a stranger. If he slept in the dojo, then at least he could lock the doors to the house and prevent the man taking advantage of his generosity while they slept.

"Please, let me get you some blankets and set you up somewhere to sleep." Mentor Ji told him. "I can call the shelter for tomorrow night."

"Dude, that would be amazing!" The musician said, unable to believe his luck. Not only had he been fed, but he was also getting to sleep indoors for the first time in months.

"I'll show you out." Mentor Ji said, gesturing to the door. "Sorry, today has been so hectic, simple courtesy has slipped my mind. I never thought to ask your name."

"Aaron." The musician replied, taking his stuff and following Mentor Ji.

"My name is Ji." Mentor Ji replied. "Come, I'll show you where you can sleep."


	5. Dekker's Invitation

Jayden stood, staring at Dekker, his fists clenched ready for action, and his eyes burning through The Cursed Warrior. He had always been raised never to show weakness in the face of an enemy. His heart pounded in his chest as Dekker levelled Urumasa, the point towards his heart.

Antonio stood beside him, and only he could notice the subtle muscle tremors that plagued the Red Ranger. Between his extensive use of symbol power to create the portal to the Dream World, and the Zord Battle, he was drained to the point it was amazing he could still stand. The Gold Ranger stepped between them.

"You keep saying you want the ultimate duel. Why do you want to face him now?" Antonio protested, stepping between them, shielding Jayden with his body. "Why do you want to fight him now? He's too exhausted!"

Just then, a bunch of moogers appeared behind Dekker. He didn't even look at them, his focus on the Red Ranger. His destiny was close; the moment he had been waiting on for centuries was so close he could feel it in every fibre of his being. He just smiled.

"It appears Master Xandred and his noodle-faced lackey have ensured we are interrupted once more." He told him, before swinging around, drawing Urumasa. Before him, all the moogers fell like grass before a scythe, at which he just turned back to the stunned Red and Gold Ranger.

"He didn't break a sweat." Antonio gasped. Just then, Jayden wavered a little in his stance, and Antonio again had to hold him up. He looked to Dekker intently.

"Now Red Ranger..."

"If you want a fight so badly, fight me!" Antonio barked, pulling out his morpher. Dekker just snorted.

"You're good Gold Ranger, but do you really think you're good enough to defeat me?" Dekker asked him.

"Maybe, maybe not, but I know one thing." Antonio declared with as much confidence as he could. "By the time I'm done, I'll have taken a big enough piece of your ass that you'll be no threat to my friends!"

"You are brave." Dekker conceded, seeing the way Jayden looked to Antonio. He could see what was in that glance and just put Urumasa away. "Tomorrow Red Ranger, meet me by the sea at Noon."

"I won't fight for the sake of fighting." Jayden told him. "That isn't the Samurai way."

"Then fight for those that will fall if you do not." Dekker told him. "Urumasa's hunger is more intense than ever. My moment is upon me. If you do not meet me, then I shall find an alternative opponent."

Jayden knew that Dekker was serious. He caught a subtle gesture as Dekker's eyes flicked to Antonio, before turning back to him.

"Be there Red Ranger." Dekker warned him, before walking off. As soon as he was gone, Jayden's strength left him and he collapsed, being caught by Antonio.

"It's OK, I've got you." Antonio assured him. "Come on, I'll get you home."

Meanwhile, Serena, Peter, Mike and Emily were wandering through the streets a little way from the Shiba House. As they rounded a corner, Emily pointed to some industrial storage units.

"It's in here." She told them. Serena just looked to her sister a little curiously.

"Seriously?" She asked. "His 'clubhouse' is a storage unit?"

"Apparently he and his nephew think the Samurai lives Spartan lifestyles." Emily said with a shrug. "Maybe someone should tell them that they were actually nobles."

"Whatever, let's just find them and..."

Mike's words tailed off as they watched a rotund, bald man and a scrawny little kid jogging around the perimeter. Emily and Mike recognised Bulk and Spike instantly, and looked to Peter and Serena.

"Wow, it took you months to find these guys?" Mike asked them.

"Hey, you're still putting moves on my sister." Serena warned him. As she was about to go, Emily grabbed her.

"Jayden!" She called out. Sure enough, they all turned to see Antonio struggling to help Jayden along the road. He looked like he was almost unconscious, and only being held up by the Gold Ranger. Serena looked to Peter.

"We need that sword." She told him.

"Yeah, but we also need a Red Ranger." He reminded her. "We can come back tomorrow."

With that, they all rushed over. Antonio saw them, and looked a little puzzled.

"Serena, what are you doing here?" He asked her, before pointing to Peter. "Who's this guy?"

"We'll explain everything." Peter assured him, positioning himself under one of Jayden's arms. Mike replaced Antonio under the other, seeing that the Gold Ranger was exhausted himself. "I think for now, we just need to get him home."

In the woods outside of town, Dekker was looking around for a good place to camp for the night. His time spent recovering from the four-way battle with Master Xandred, Jayden and Dekker had left him needing a long time to regain his health, but in the time he had taken to recover, Urumasa's hunger had only grown. His time spent unable to fight, unable to satisfy its cravings had been maddening, driving his mind to the darkest of corners, where his basest instincts existed. It was only his honour that prevented him seeking bloodshed just for the sake of it.

As he wandered though, he heard something a little way off, and noticed a little glow through the brush a short way from him, indicating a campfire. He headed over towards the noise, pushing bushes out of the way, and came into a clearing to find Dayu crouched by a campfire, weeping over her Harmonium.

"You again." He sighed, coming into view. Dayu felt her heart breaking to see him again. She knew that he now had no memory of the cruelly brief time they had been reunited. He looked to her, seeing her cradling the Harmonium tenderly. "It is broken."

"Master Xandred destroyed it." She told him. She looked a little surprised as Dekker found a spot nearby and sat down with her.

"Yet you stay with him..."

"Not anymore." Dayu told him. "I have no desire to serve him any longer."

"This instrument means so much to you?" Dekker asked her. She just nodded.

"It was one of the only things that was truly mine when I was human." She informed him, casting her mind back. "Before I turned, before it was corrupted, someone I loved very dearly made it for me and gave it to me as a gift."

"So you have a sentimental attachment to it." He surmised.

"Not anymore I guess." She replied, setting it aside. "You...you're staying?"

"I was looking for somewhere to camp." He told her honestly. "I do not find your company objectionable."

"Thank you, I suppose." Dayu replied to the somewhat backhanded compliment. She knew that he wasn't really the man she loved, but there was something there that stopped her just dismissing him. "You are welcome to share the fire."

"I simply need rest." He told her. "Tomorrow I face my destiny."

Dayu felt herself listening more intently. She had listened to Dekker speak many times, and she knew exactly what he meant. He was speaking of the duel.

"You will face the Red Ranger?" She asked him.

"Tomorrow at noon." He told her. Dayu just looked to the fire, unable to think of it. She didn't want this man, she wanted the man she loved back, but it was so hard not to see the man that had carried her heart for centuries. Yet, she knew what he meant when he talked of the ultimate duel. Even if he defeated the Red Ranger, Urumasa would simply drive him onward. What Dekker sought was the release of oblivion. He was looking for the same release he had granted Urumasa's previous owner. He needed to fall to another to be free of the curse. He looked to her, and furrowed his brow. "You are not trying to talk me out of it."

"What is the point?" She sighed, picking up her Harmonium and walking into the woods. "Enjoy the fire."

As she left, Dekker just watched her go. He didn't know what it was about her, but something about her intrigued him. He knew she had been charged with the task of destroying him, but any time they met, they had ended up spending their time talking. There was something about her that eased him, and he felt none of Urumasa's will to destroy.

Feeling he would never be likely to understand her role in fate, he just lay down and pulled his robe around himself for warmth. Tomorrow, one way or another, it wouldn't matter. It was just a mystery he would never solve.

Back at the Shiba House, Mentor Ji, Peter and the Rangers all assembled in the Living Room. It had been a while since they had carried Jayden home, and now they needed to talk about what they planned to do.

Mentor Ji had ensured their 'guest' was in the dojo asleep before getting the others together over some Saki. He would have suggested tea, but he figured under the circumstances everyone could do with something a little stronger.

It was now dark, and deathly quiet outside as they finished the background. Jayden had told them all about the fact that Dekker was no longer willing to wait for the duel. He had put it down pretty bluntly that one way or another he was duelling someone the following day.

Serena had explained about her quest, no longer seeing any need for secrecy since it was so close to completion. She told them all about what she had been through, and where she had been, but most importantly that Kasamune, the only sword that had ever been known to stand superior to Urumasa, was almost within their grasp.

After that, Mia had told them a little about what she had seen of Dayu's dream. She had been in her dream and seen what Dayu had fanaticised about. Although that was revealing, Serena had interjected and told them what she had learned from the Tengen Gate.

As she finished the tale, the Rangers all looked around each other, not knowing what to make of what they had heard.

"I feel terrible for her." Emily commented. "Her life must have been so awful."

"Yeah, and then she gets screwed over on a deal to save Dekker?" Mike asked. "That is definitely someone with something to bitch about."

"She deserves everything she gets." Mia muttered. They all looked to her.

"Mia...?"

"She had a hard time, but who hasn't?" Mia asked sharply. "You all forget, she murdered a woman!"

"She stopped a woman that was trying to kill a man with his back turned." Serena reminded her.

"Dekker's immortal!" Mia reminded them. "He would have survived!"

"She didn't know that." Mike put down. She..."

"Yarrick's wife was pregnant!" Mia snapped. "What did the baby do? What crime did the baby commit?"

Before any of them could stop her, Mia just stormed off back into her room. They all knew that Dayu's story had to touch her on a personal level in some way. Kevin just went with her, wordlessly letting them know he would take care of her. It was then that Serena brought their attention back to the task at hand by picking up the bottle.

"Alright, so what we have is a truncated timetable." She told them. "I'll go and get the sword from Bulk tomorrow..."

"How?" Jayden asked her. She sighed.

"OK, he isn't exactly a super criminal, so I guess I'll try and buy it." She told him. "If that doesn't work..."

"Whoa, you might want to stow those fists of fury." Peter suggested. "Like you said, he's not a criminal; he's just a guy who bought the wrong thing on eBay."

"I wasn't suggesting..."

"Would he have walked away unhurt?" He asked her. She just shook her head.

"If you can get it without harming him, that will be for the best." Mentor Ji agreed. "However, we need that sword. If all else fails, you may have to take that step."

"It shouldn't be hard." Serena commented. "But you're right. I wouldn't want to hurt anyone unnecessarily."

"So what about Dekker?" Kevin asked. Jayden just shook his head.

"What about him?" He asked. "We give him what he wants."

"No!" Antonio snapped. "That isn't a good idea! We need to..."

"Antonio, we don't have a choice!" Jayden told him. "He said if he doesn't get what he wants, he'll start going after others. He'll find another opponent...he suggested it would be one of you."

"Then I'll go." Antonio told him. Jayden could see the way he was looking at him and could see what was really behind this. It was the same reason Jayden wanted to go.

"I can't let you do that." Jayden told him.

"You're the only one with the sealing power!" Antonio reminded him. Jayden just glanced to Mentor Ji, and both of them shook their heads, before Jayden looked back to him.

"He said he wanted to duel Emily if he beat me." He reminded them, recalling the time months ago when Emily had buried him under a mountain for threatening Serena. "Mia's been shaken up by what happened, and..."

His words tailed off as he put a hand on Antonio's shoulder.

"I can't ask anyone to take a risk for me that I won't take for myself." He told him. He then looked to the group again. "I'm going tomorrow. I'll prepare myself tomorrow morning, and then I'll go. The rest of you will have to defend the city."

"You know we will." Mike assured him. Emily just nodded.

"It's in safe hands." She stated. With that, Jayden walked off to go to his own room to rest. The following day, he was heading for the fight of his life, and he knew he needed everything he had if he was to get through it.

Emily and Mike then headed off to their room, uncertain what the day would bring, but knowing that they were charged with a lot of responsibility. Jayden was leaving the world in their hands, and they too needed to be ready.

As Serena and Peter were about to go to the guest room, Serena stopped and put a hand on Mentor Ji's shoulder, seeing the way he was sitting, tensed up. She knew from her mother's stories that Jayden had been entrusted to Mentor Ji when his father died, and had been raised by the older man since he was six years old. In many ways, Jayden was the closest thing to a son Mentor Ji had.

"Are you alright?" She asked him. He just nodded.

"I'll be fine." He told her. "Go to bed. You all have a long day tomorrow."

With that, they reluctantly left him. Mentor Ji sat alone in the main room, facing the reality of the situation before him. He had always hoped, in some ways selfishly, that Serena would have Kasamune by the time Dekker came for the duel. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

He had done a lot in his life, some he was proud of, and much of it he most definitely was not. However, he was now in the situation of sitting back and watching as Jayden marched off to face the fight of his life, and all he could do was sit at home and hope he came back.


	6. Jayden's Duel

The following morning, the Rangers, Mentor Ji, Peter and Serena assembled outside the Shiba House as Jayden prepared for the duel. All of them were waiting to support him.

Antonio in particular fidgeted nervously. He more than any of them knew exactly how Jayden was feeling. They shared a room, so he knew first hand that Jayden had barely slept more than a couple of hours. Of course, that was because he hadn't slept either. Jayden came out of the Shiba House, taking a deep breath, and made his way towards the gate.

"You can do it bro." Mike said reassuringly, holding up a fist. Jayden wished he was as confident as the Green Ranger. Although they had all faced Dekker at one time or another, Jayden had seen him in action directly in the four-way battle with Xandred and Kenzo. He knew that Dekker was dangerous on a level that few could understand. He had trained for a lifetime to master his technique, but Dekker had several lifetimes of experience behind him. He presented a strong face to the others, but in his heart, he honestly didn't know if he could defeat him.

He stopped by Kevin, who looked just as unsure as he had the previous night. He had reluctantly agreed to help Jayden prepare, training with him long into the night in the yard. He figured that if he couldn't talk Jayden out of the duel, then at very least, he could help him prepare. Jayden took his power disks out of his pocket, and presented them to Kevin.

"With these, you'll be able to command the Zords." He told him. "There's no one I would trust more with my team."

"I'll give them back to you." Kevin said, taking the disks, his eyes never straying from Jayden's. The Red Ranger just nodded, accepting what Kevin had said, before moving along the line, coming to Mentor Ji next.

"Take care of them." He said. Mentor Ji just pulled Jayden in, hugging him tightly. He couldn't bring himself to say anything. Jayden was the most precious thing in the world to him, and he would replace him in the duel in a heartbeat, anything to know that he would be safe. However, he knew that Dekker would never allow that. Jayden then went to Antonio next as they parted, looking into his eyes, struggling to find something to say.

Antonio just shook his head and hugged the Red Ranger. Just then, the Gap Sensor sounded. They all looked to Mentor Ji. He checked a hand set, looking back to them.

"It's Rhinosnore." He told them. "He's back."

"Wait, if he's back, why isn't he mega mode?" Emily asked him. "I thought Bulk destroyed him."

"I never thought I'd hear anyone say that." Mike responded.

"Apparently not." Mentor Ji replied. "You must stop him."

"I guess that leaves us to get Kasamune." Serena replied. With that, they all scattered, heading off to their respective missions. Mentor Ji just watched them go, as he had so many times before, and he found himself wishing that there was more he could do to ensure they returned. He didn't even notice as Aaron, the busker, came out the door, stopping near him.

"I just wanted to say thanks." He stated, looking to Mentor Ji. "You've been really great."

"You're welcome." Mentor Ji replied in a sigh, suddenly remembering his promise to the man to call his friend at the refuge. He had almost forgotten that he was in the house. "I need to call my friend, would you like to have a shower before you go?"

"Ji, you have no idea how long it's been!" Aaron said with a smile as he followed him back inside.

Dekker was standing by the ocean, looking out over the waves as noon approached. His destiny was coming; he could feel it on the very wind. As he felt another presence, he turned slowly, seeing Jayden coming towards him.

"It took you long enough." Dekker said with a little smirk. "I almost thought you weren't going to show."

"You didn't leave me with much of a choice." Jayden responded. "If we do this, whatever happens, it's finished. You'll leave my friends alone."

"You aren't in much of a position to make demands." Dekker stated as he drew Urumasa. "Of course, if you defeat me, there will be no need to worry about me coming for your friends."

"I've given you every chance to walk away. I've tried everything to stop things coming to this." He stated, flipping open his Sammuraizer. "You may have been a good man once, but if this is the only way it can end, then I guess I have no choice."

With that, Jayden morphed, and levelled his spin sword over his shoulder. Dekker turned into his Nighlock form and formed a guard, taking the handle in a strong grip. For a long moment, both men just stared at each other intently, before letting out loud battle cries and rushing toward each other.

In another part of town, Serena and Peter returned to the storage units where they knew Spike and Bulk had their club house. They made their way through the gate, beginning to look around for them.

"All these units look the same." She muttered as they started to wander. "How the hell are we meant to find them?"

"Well they aren't exactly that easy to miss." He reminded her. "If they're here, they should stand out..."

Just then, they heard a loud crack, that sounded like bamboo, before they heard a scream of pain. They just looked to each other and smiled.

"Ow!" They heard a shrill voice shrieking. "Uncle Bulk, that hurt!"

"Spike you need to concentrate." Another voice responded. "You let your guard down!"

Serena and Peter came around the corner, finding Bulk standing with a home-made shinai constructed from garden canes and tennis balls. Spike was sitting on the ground, pouting as he held a hand to his forehead.

"Hey, are you Farquis Bulkmeyer?" Peter asked as they started to make their way over. Bulk just looked at them a little curiously.

"Yeah, who wants to know?" He asked.

"My name's Peter and this is Serena." Peter introduced them as Serena started to take a look at Spike. She took his hand off his head, which was starting to come up into a nasty looking welt. She sucked her teeth seeing this.

"That has to hurt." She commented. "You'll live."

"Well that's comforting." He said sarcastically. She just helped him up and looked to Bulk.

"Listen, we heard that you bought a sword on the internet." Serena told them. "We kind of need it."

"We're willing to pay." Peter stated.

"You mean that one we hang on the wall?" Spike asked them. "It's busted."

"Not so fast Spike." Bulk said, looking to both of the strangers thoughtfully. He had no idea why they wanted the sword, all he could tell was that they really wanted it, and they had said they were willing to pay.

"Look, I really wouldn't feel right about selling it." Bulk told them. "I mean, I paid fifty bucks for it, and I got ripped off..."

"We appreciate you looking out for us, but it has..."

"Sentimental value." Serena interrupted. She could see from the expression on Bulk's face that he was far from convinced by that line. Like Emily, Serena was a hopeless liar.

"Sentimental value?" He asked sceptically.

"Look, we want that sword." Serena reiterated. "We'll pay five hundred for it."

This seemed to make Bulk even more suspicious. Peter looked to her, almost to indicate to her that he would handle it.

"We just want..."

"Why would you pay ten times what I did for it?" Bulk asked him.

"Look, I know that you don't need the money." Peter told him. "When you sold your restaurant Bulkmeyers, you made a packet by selling it to Red Lobster."

"How did you know that?" Bulk asked him. "Who are you?"

"Look, we can talk about this all day, but we really are on a tight schedule." Peter sighed. "Tell us what you want, and we'll get it for you."

Serena saw Spike's discarded Shinai, and got an idea. Placing her foot on it, she rolled it backwards, before flicking it up with her foot, catching it. She started to swing it around in practiced arcs, causing Bulk to stare at her open-mouthed in shock. She levelled the end of it towards him and smiled.

"Tell you what, you let us have that sword and I'll show you how to use these things." She suggested. Bulk just nodded. Spike looked to her and held up a hand as though to ask a question.

"You're not a Nighlock are you?" He asked her. She just sighed and shook her head. These guys were not the sharpest tools in the shed, and she had a feeling she was going to live to regret her promise, but if it meant they got Kasamune, it would be worth it.

In the centre of the city, Emily, Mike, Kevin and Mia arrived to find Rhinosnore terrifying the citizens, chasing them around.

"I thought Bulk destroyed you already!" Mike blurted out as they arrived on the scene.

"That fat useless lump?" Rhinosnore asked incredulously. "No, he just destroyed my mist blower, which means I can't send people to the Dream World anymore. That just means I have to devour people in this world!"

"You took people's dreams and tried to destroy them!" Mia yelled. "For that, you deserve to be destroyed!"

Over at the site of the duel, Jayden and Dekker gave each other everything they had, trading blows with deadly intent. Their blades sparked with energy as they collided again and again.

Jayden staggered back as the tip of Urumasa's blade skimmed his helmet, barely grazing it. Another few inches and he would have lost his head.

"You're good Red Ranger. I was right to choose you." Dekker told him. "You're everything I thought you would be."

"Glad you're not disappointed." Jayden replied. He wished he could be as confident as he was trying to sound, but the fact was that he was giving Dekker everything he had, and yet still he wasn't able to mount any kind of appreciable offence. Dekker had an answer for everything he threw his way.

Dekker rushed towards him, dashing aside his blade, before bringing it back, only just narrowly missing as Jayden dodged his swing.

"Jayden!" Serena called out as she started running along the path towards the cliff where Jayden and Dekker were duelling. As Dekker's attention was drawn to her, he noticed that she was carrying a katana. His sharp eyes focused as he saw it, and he remembered the last time he had seen it. She had succeeded in her quest and found Kasamune, the only sword that was ever known to have rivalled Urumasa's power.

"You found it then!" Dekker called out, smiling as he saw Serena approaching. "Sorry, but you'll have to wait your turn."

Serena wasn't listening though. Jayden was too important, only he could create the seal that would keep Master Xandred in the Netherworld forever. She drew her sword, casting the scabbard aside as she rushed towards him, and Dekker prepared to defend himself.

"No!" Serena heard a scream from a little way off. Dayu sprang out of a gap she had been watching the battle, rushing towards Serena. The Earth Samurai barely had time to see it coming. She barely managed to get Kasamune up to parry Dayu's attack with her short sword, but the frantic and desperate nature of her attack meant it was uncontrolled, and the momentum carried both women over the edge of the cliff, tumbling down the side. Dekker turned his attention back to Jayden.

"Serena!" Jayden called out as he saw her disappear over the edge. This was exactly what he didn't want. He didn't want any of his friends to risk themselves for him. This was his fight, his battle to face. Dekker came around between Jayden and the edge of the cliff barring his path as the Red Ranger made to check on Serena's position.

"Perhaps now we will be able to finish without any further interruptions." Dekker sneered.

"You bastard!" Peter roared as he ran and leapt onto Dekker's back, grabbing him around the neck. Dekker was distracted only for a moment, but Peter's attack was more of an annoyance for him than a serious threat. Dekker threw Peter over his shoulder, dumping him on the ground. As he got up, Dekker swung Urumasa, wounding Peter terribly. Jayden could see blood seeping from him at an alarming rate, and his heart went cold. He just looked to Dekker, his gaze intensifying.

"That's it Dekker, you've hurt too many people! I can't let that continue!" Jayden told him. He rushed forward, knowing what was about to happen. Their swords rebounded once, before he felt Urumasa's strike. His costume disappeared as the blade penetrated his right shoulder. He felt the steel through him, and his strength started to leave him.

Dekker saw the spin sword drop, but as he saw Jayden's left hand coming up, he realised too late what had happened. Jayden had suckered him in; he had sacrificed himself, allowed himself to be injured to get into position to strike. With Urumasa still imbedded in his shoulder, The Cursed Warrior knew he would never retrieve his blade in time.

With one swing, using the last of his strength, Jayden brought the spin sword across Dekker's chest, at which Dekker returned to his human form. Urumasa was broken in half, only the handle and a little of the blade remaining in Dekker's hand. He looked to Jayden and smiled as blood started to leak from a wound in his chest.

"You are everything I wanted and more Red Ranger. I knew you would be the one to release me from my curse." He told him, staggering towards the edge. "Thank you."

With that, he pitched over the edge, disappearing in a cloud of black smoke. Jayden ran to the edge of the cliff, looking down, and breathed a sigh of relief as he saw Serena climbing back up. She had landed on a ledge about twelve feet below, and had spent the remaining time trying to climb back up.

"Dayu?" He asked.

"She disappeared." Serena told him. "Peter?"

"He's hurt." Jayden told her as he offered her his one good hand, helping her up. She seemed to freeze as she heard this. Jayden still had half of Urumasa's blade imbedded in him, if he said that Peter was hurt, then Peter had to be bad.

She saw Peter lying in his own blood a little way off, and ran over to him, tossing Kasamune aside as she did so. Tears started to run down her face as she saw him, grimacing in agony. She pulled out her cell phone and dialled.

"Ambulance!" She called out as she tried to stem the flow of blood from Peter's injury. "We're on the cliff by the ocean! Hurry!"


	7. Rhinosnore's Demise

The Rangers were locked in a deadly battle with Rhinosnore, but it felt like they were finally turning a corner. Even without the benefit of having quite literally an entire world to throw at them, he was still a strong Nighlock. Mike saw an opening and hit him with a hard shot from his Forest Spear.

"Alright, I think he's weakening." Mike told them. "Who has any ideas how to finish him off?"

"Emily, Mia, Antonio, get ready to hit him with a triple strike!" Antonio called out as he slipped a power disk onto his Barracuda Blade. "Kevin, you know what to do."

Antonio powered up the blade, darting around Rhinosnore, hammering into him with numerous powered strikes before throwing himself aside as Emily, Mia and Mike all hit blasts from their weapons. The Nighlock fell to the ground, smoking from the ferocity of the attack. Kevin launched himself into the air, loading his Swordfish Disk into the Hydro Bow.

"Say hello to my little friend!" He called out as he launched laser arrows at the prone Nighlock. A huge explosion heralded the end of his first life as Kevin landed nimbly beside his team. Mike just looked to him.

"Say hello to my little friend?" Mike asked him. "Really?"

"What?" Kevin asked. Mike just sighed and shook his head in disbelief.

"That is the last time you watch 'Scarface'." Mike commented as Rhinosnore revived, starting to grow. "Alright, it looks like our problems just got bigger."

Just then, they heard a ring tone. Antonio searched out his morpher, answering it.

"This better not be about my network options!" Antonio stated. "Now really isn't a good time!"

"It's me." Serena told him. "I'm at the hospital."

"The hospital?" Antonio asked, causing all the others to look around at him. "It's Serena, she's at..."

"The hospital, we got that part." Mike stated, grabbing Emily's hand. "Is she...?"

"Tell Emily I'm fine." Serena continued. "It's Jayden and Peter. Dekker hurt them both really badly."

"Alright, thanks for letting me know." Antonio stated, putting his morpher away. He looked to the others. "It's Jayden and Peter..."

"It'll have to wait." Kevin replied, pulling out Jayden's Power Disks. "We'll need all the help we can get here."

"Let's just finish this quickly." Mike replied. "Mega Mode!"

Over at the hospital, Serena was sitting in the waiting room, wringing her hands nervously as she waited for word on her friends. Her clothes were covered in blood as a result of her attempts to help Peter and Jayden.

She could hardly breathe thinking about what had happened. Despite what little she knew about first aid, she had no option but to pull the piece of Urumasa from Jayden's shoulder. There was no way they would be able to explain that to the ambulance crews who came to help them without revealing who he was.

She had already called Mentor Ji to let him know what had happened. She had stashed Kasamune, and what was left of Urumasa at the battle site, but she needed to make sure that they weren't found by just anyone. She knew that with a choice, Mentor Ji would be right there with them, but right now the most important thing he could do was ensure that they cleaned up after themselves as much as possible.

She felt a hand brushing her shoulder softly, and smiled a little as she looked up, seeing Jayden standing over her, his arm in a sling.

"Clean entry in and out." H told her. "I may never play the piano again, but then I couldn't before anyway, so..."

"She didn't respond in the slightest to his half-hearted attempt to bring light to the situation. He just took a seat next to her, seeing the way she continued to wring her hands so tightly that her knuckles were turning white.

"No word on Peter yet?" He asked her.

"He lost a lot of blood." Serena whispered, fidgeting nervously. "God, I hate hospitals."

Jayden couldn't really blame her for this assertion. She had spent many months in a hospital when she fell ill before her parents had her moved home. She had spent close to two years bed-ridden by an illness that was meant to take her life. Now that she was healthy again, she didn't even really like taking over-the-counter medication unless she didn't have a choice. All things considered, it was understandable. She had seen more than enough of hospital treatments for many lifetimes.

"We got him here as quickly as we could." Jayden reminded her. "I'm sure he'll be fine."

"I got there too late." Serena put down flatly. "I had one job. Get Kasamune, and bring it to the battle, and I couldn't even do that."

"Serena, you did your best." Jayden told her. She just looked to him, her lips curling in disgust as she heard him trying to defend her.

"I knew where the damned sword was!" She stated. "I spent so long talking to those two...they're jokers! I could have taken the damn thing in like half a second!"

"Would you really have wanted to do things that way?" Jayden asked her. "I mean, sure you'd have gotten the sword quicker, but Bulk and Spike...they're not exactly Nighlocks or criminals. It's not their fault they stumbled into this."

"You needed me..."

"There's also no guarantee that the sword would have made a difference." Jayden interrupted her. "Dayu would still have interfered. Dekker was still one of the greatest swordsmen ever. Hell, I have this to prove it."

Jayden gestured to his shoulder. Serena just shook her head.

"I still can't help feeling like this is my fault." She admitted. "Maybe if I'd been a minute earlier...even five seconds earlier..."

"Last time I checked, you didn't tell Peter to jump Dekker." He reminded her. "He did that himself."

"Dumbass." She muttered. "If the Red Ranger was struggling against Dekker, what chance did he think he had?"

"Something tells me he wasn't really thinking." Jayden told her. Just then, a doctor came over to them, at which Serena got to her feet, looking to him intently.

"Your friend is resting comfortably." He said before either of them could ask. "He's lost a lot of blood, but he's responding well to treatment."

"Can we see him?" Serena asked the doctor.

"He's resting for now, that's probably for the best." He told them. "He should be strong enough for visitors by the morning."

"Thank you doctor." Jayden replied, taking Serena by the arm. "Let's get a cab."

"But what about you?" She asked him.

"Clean entry and exit remember?" Jayden asked her. "What can they do here that Mentor Ji can't handle at home?"

He put his arm around Serena as they started to walk out of the hospital.

"Besides." He said with a little smirk. "I reckon this should be good for a sympathy pizza."

Back at the Shiba House, Mentor Ji arrived back, having collected Kasamune and what was left of Urumasa. He had them wrapped up in a blanket, and came in, setting them down on the couch as he heard movement in the house. He knew that Aaron was still there, but he had no choice but to leave him alone. Aaron came into the room, washed and shaved, with clean clothing on. Mentor Ji had set out some of Jayden's older clothing.

"I see you found the clothing I left for you." Mentor Ji said with a little smile.

"Are you sure no one will mind?" Aaron asked him. "You've already done so much for me..."

"I doubt Jayden will even notice they're gone." Mentor Ji answered. Just then, he got a call on his cell phone.

"Hello?" He asked.

"It's me." Jayden told him. "Peter's staying overnight, but we should be back soon."

"I'm pleased to hear it." Mentor Ji told him. "I'll be waiting."

With that, he hung up his phone, and turned to see Aaron on the couch watching the news on television.

"Alright, the Power Rangers!" He called out. "Have you seen this?"

"I occasionally see some of their battles." Mentor Ji told him. Just then, he watched as the Octospear Megazord destroyed Rhinosnore utterly, finishing the battle. Aaron leapt up from his seat, punching the air.

"Yeah, that is so badass!" He called out. "I remember I used to love the Rangers. I never thought I'd see a team in this city."

"We are very fortunate to have them." Mentor Ji agreed, a little smile on his face as he watched the screen.

Outside the Shiba House, Jayden and Serena were just getting out of a cab as the rest of the team arrived. Emily was over like a shot as she saw the blood on Serena's shirt.

"It's alright Em, it's not mine." Serena assured her sister as the Yellow Ranger wrapped her arms around her tightly. "I'm fine. A few bruises that's all."

"What about you?" Antonio asked, seeing Jayden's arm. Jayden just looked to Antonio and nodded.

"Clean entry and exit." He said for what felt like the fiftieth time. "It'll be a while, but I should be fine."

"And you're not in hospital?" Mike asked him.

"What can they do there that we can't do here?" Jayden asked him.

"Besides, you're looking for sympathy right?" Antonio asked him. "I caught a supersized salmon earlier that should fit the bill nicely!"

"That sounds perfect." Jayden answered as they all started to head inside. All in, that sounded much better than pizza. As they headed inside, they all came into the living room, finding Mentor Ji and Aaron watching the news, which was only just relaying the news of the battle.

Mentor Ji heard the back door opening, and knew that the others were back. It was always a huge relief when they returned home, but this time in particular was like the weight of the world had been lifted from him. He just looked to Aaron as the news finished.

"The others have returned." He told him. "I'm sure Kevin will give you a ride to the shelter."

"I really don't know how to thank you." Aaron told him gratefully. "Seriously, I don't think anyone's ever been this cool to me."

"Well I just wanted to do what I could." Mentor Ji told him.

In one of the bedrooms, Serena was getting changed out of her blood-stained clothing when Emily came in. She let out a gasp, alerting Serena to her presence.

"What the...?"

Serena suddenly realised that this was the first time Emily had seen the dragon tattoo Daisuke had given her. She pulled on her shirt, letting out a sigh.

"Something I picked up from Daisuke." She told Emily.

"Mom and dad are so going to flip!" Emily screeched. "Mom screamed at me for an hour when I dyed my hair!"

"This is a little different." Serena told her.

"I'll say, this is permanent!" Emily stated flatly. Serena just rolled her eyes.

"Look, it's been a long day." She sighed, grabbing the shirt and throwing it into a trash can in the corner. Emily noticed the look on Serena's face.

"Peter wasn't with you when you got back." Emily commented. Serena shook her head.

"He's still in the hospital." Serena told her sister. "Dekker hurt him pretty badly."

"But he'll be alright won't he?" Emily asked her. Serena just shrugged.

"I guess so." She said uneasily.

"So...he's from the Tengen Gate?" Emily asked her. "He doesn't seem much like an attendant."

"He's some kind of tech genius." Serena answered her, sitting on the bed. "Apparently Daisuke took him there to hide him from the government. He hacked some system he shouldn't have."

"I guess he and Antonio will have stuff to talk about then." Emily replied. "I mean, it'll be a while before he can fly to Japan won't it?"

"I guess so." Serena sighed. "Look, Emily, it's really been a long day, can we not talk about Peter?"

Emily just got that little smirk on her face that Serena hated.

"You like him don't you?" Emily shrieked.

"Emily, please stop..."

"Serena and Peter sitting in a..."

"Alright, are you going to do this until I tell you what you want to hear?" Serena asked in an exasperated tone. Emily just shook her head. "Alright fine...he's kind of cute."

"Just kind of cute?" Emily asked her, nudging her sister. Serena hated the fact that Emily had seen something that Serena was finding it hard to admit to herself. Peter was just completely not her type, or at least, the type she had normally found herself attracted to.

"Alright, he's more than a little cute." Serena told her. "I mean, I know he's a dork, but he's kind of good looking in his own way."

"So..." Emily asked her.

"So...what?" Serena asked her.

"So has anything happened?" She asked her. Serena just shook her head.

"We were married for a while." Serena told her, just to see the look on Emily's face. "It was just an act."

"But you like him." Emily stated.

"What does that matter?" Serena asked her. "As soon as he's recovered, he'll probably be heading back to Japan."

"Serena, why don't you just say something to him?" Emily asked her.

"Seriously, you've met the guy right?" Serena asked Emily. The Yellow Ranger just looked to her sister a little confused.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Emily asked her.

"He's like, some kind of crazy super genius or something." Serena told her. "Whenever he starts talking about stuff, I can just kind of feel my eyes glazing over and it all sounds like white noise."

"Serena, you're smart." Emily said reassuringly.

"Emily, if he wanted he could probably go to any university he wanted." Serena reiterated. "I barely finished High School."

"Serena, you were ill." Emily reminded her. "You could go to college if you wanted."

"It wouldn't make any difference though." Serena said dejectedly. "He's smarter than anyone I've ever met. Compared to him, I kind of feel like one of those monkeys you see in the zoo playing with their own poop."

"OK, that was a mental image I really didn't need." Emily commented. "Serena, you need to stop putting yourself down like that."

"Emily, it doesn't matter, he'll be going back to Japan." Serena replied, finishing getting changed. "Meanwhile, I just agreed to take on a couple of new students for the next few months."

"Bulk and Spike?" Emily giggled. "Talk about an impossible task."

"Come on squirt." Serena sighed, ruffling her sister's hair. "No doubt the others are changed and ready to start on dinner.

"Ah, you're all back." Mentor Ji stated, seeing the Rangers and Serena come into the room. "I take it everything went well today."

"Yeah, and I for one am totally looking forward to cracking out the barbecue." Antonio stated. "This is going to be Gold Standard!"

"Well, before you do, Kevin, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind giving Aaron a ride to the shelter before dinner." Mentor Ji asked, gesturing to the man standing next to him. Just then, the colour seemed to drain from the busker. Everyone turned to see where he was staring, seeing Mia's face fall as she finally saw him. When she had saved him, she was distracted and hadn't gotten a good look at him. Now though, washed up and clean shaven, she could see him.

"Mia?" He asked her.

"Aaron?" She whispered in response.


	8. Mia's Reaction

Everyone was standing around in the Living Room in almost complete silence. Since Aaron and Mia had seen each other, it was like someone had hit the pause button on life as everyone stood, unable to think of anything to say or do.

As Aaron looked around the room, looking decidedly uncomfortable, Mike finally broke the silence.

"Aaron?" Mike asked, gesturing between Mia and the busker. "Aaron as in...?" Serena jabbed him in the ribs sharply to silence him as the others all started to close ranks. Aaron gulped as he saw the group closing ranks, the girls and Mike moving closer to Serena, while the other guys seemed to over between them. Mia just nodded to confirm Mike's assertions.

"Wow, um..."

"That's how you greet her?" Kevin asked sharply. "That's how you say hi after what you did?"

"Kevin." Mentor Ji whispered in a sharp tone, placing his cane across him to try and rein him in. He could understand Kevin's position, but by the looks of everyone in the room, none of them were particularly happy to see him either. He couldn't really blame them, finding out who this stranger was after doing so much to help him almost made him feel like his efforts had been rewarded with a spit in the face. He looked to Aaron, who was looking more uncomfortable by the second as he realised that whoever they were, all of them knew about his past with Mia.

"Mia..."

"I think you should go." She told him flatly. She didn't really know how to feel. Part of her was angry, and just wanted to scream at Aaron, to hurt him every bit as much as he had hurt her. Another part wanted to sit down with him and demand an explanation. To know why he had done what he did and to demand that he give her the answers to the questions she had tortured herself with for months after he had turned her away. Finally, there was a part of her that just had no idea what to do when confronted by the man that she had once trusted with her heart.

"Mia, please..."

"You heard her." Mentor Ji interjected. Aaron looked to the man who had helped him so much since he had come into the house, and could see by the expression on his face that even he was turning on him. "You need to leave."

"Look, please..."

Kevin picked up his coat and guitar and shoved them into Aaron's arms, before grabbing him by the scruff of the neck and the seat of his trousers, and beginning to rush him towards the front door.

"Kevin!" Mia called out as the others started to rush towards him, fearing the worst as he started to take him towards the training yard.

"Whoa dude, hold up on this!" Mike called out. Kevin ignored all of them though as he burst through the front door, and continued to drag Aaron across the yard. He finally kicked the front gate open, before launching Aaron and his belongings onto the pavement outside. Aaron just looked up at him from the ground.

"The shelter is that way!" Kevin snapped at him.

"But..."

"If you start walking now you'll be there in a couple of hours!" Kevin continued to yell, ignoring not only Aaron, but also his own heart. All of his instincts just wanted to tear him apart. He had spoken to Mia a lot over the time since he had found out about the baby, and he had been there for her through all of it as she reluctantly went through it all again with him. He had seen how difficult it had been for her, even now two years on. Seeing the man that had caused her so much heartache, he had to try his hardest not to just lose it. "Go!"

With that, he slammed the gate and stormed back into the yard, where the other Rangers were watching.

As he stormed back inside, Mike looked to Emily, communicating wordlessly that he was going to check on him. It was clear that Kevin needed to blow off some steam; all things considered he had been very restrained with Aaron.

"Come on." Serena said to Mia, putting an arm around her. "Let's get inside."

As the girls went inside, Antonio just gestured to Jayden that he was heading to the barbecue. He came to Mentor Ji's side and looked to his father figure.

"I didn't know." Mentor whispered.

"You should never feel bad about wanting to help people Ji." Jayden assured him.

"If I'd known what he had done..."

"You probably would have done the same thing." Jayden interrupted him. "Weren't you the one that always told me that you should always help those that need help, even if you believe they don't deserve it?"

"I may have said something like that." Mentor Ji sighed, knowing that Jayden was right. It was part of the Samurai code that they were meant to help people, regardless of how they actually felt about them. They were only permitted to hurt those that harmed the innocent. Regardless of how he felt about Aaron as a person, the fact was that he knew he was on the streets, and could do with someone to offer a helping hand. "I just feel like all I did was hurt Mia."

"You weren't responsible for that, he was." Jayden assured him. "You helped him. He has a place in the shelter. What he does with the help you gave him is up to him."

"Have I ever told you I hate it when you're right when you quote me?" Mentor Ji asked him with a smile. Jayden just shrugged, but he winced as he aggravated his shoulder injury.

"Jayden..."

"I'm fine Ji, but this will take some getting used to." Jayden told him. "Come on. Antonio's offered to cook."

In the girls' room, Serena and Emily were just sitting with Mia, waiting for her to say something. It was a long time before she finally breathed a sigh in exasperation and threw her hands up.

"Guys, stop staring." She told them. "I'm fine."

"Yeah, you're fine." Serena said sarcastically. "And I'm in line for the next Poet Lauriat."

"Mia, we know this has to be hard." Emily told her. "I mean, what he did to you, I can't imagine how that felt."

"Trust me, you don't want to." Mia assured her. "I guess I have been thinking about this a lot recently."

"It'd be kind of hard not to." Emily said, shuddering a little to think about it. "I mean, it wasn't that long ago you were pregnant again."

"There was something else." She admitted, taking a deep breath. "You remember that Nighlock put me in the Dream World?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Serena asked.

"Well, the dream that I had was..." She struggled to bring herself to talk about it. "I was with my son."

Serena and Emily just looked at each other hearing this. It was a cruel thing to do to show her what she had lost.

"I guess that makes sense." Emily replied. "I mean, in the dream world you see what you wanted. You lost your baby..."

"It was more than that." Mia told them, looking to her two friends, feeling close enough at last to finally be able to tell them. "I didn't miscarry. He died three days after he was born."

"Oh my God." Serena gasped as Emily just looked on sympathetically. A few tears started to form in Mia's eyes as she thought about him. Serena and Emily both pulled her in hugging her tightly. They knew that all this had brought back a lot of painful memories, but they had no idea that it was this serious.

Meanwhile, in the dojo, Mike found himself slammed to the floor yet again. He had seen that Kevin needed to calm down, and had opted to help him work out some aggression with some sparring.

Unusually though, Kevin was actually beating Mike in unarmed combat. His aggression actually made him a lot sharper and stronger than he usually was. Mike got back to his feet, looking to Kevin as they re-took their marks.

"OK, now I'm starting to wish you had kicked his ass." Mike commented as he limped to his line. "Dude, you seriously need to calm down."

"Mike, he was here!" Kevin told him. "He was standing there in our living room! He had been eating our food!"

"Kevin, I'm not happy about it either." Mike told him. "After what he did, don't you think I wanted to tear him a new one? If someone had hurt Emily the way he hurt Mia you'd probably be helping me dig a hole in the back yard right now."

"I know, it's just...I hate feeling this way!" Kevin told him. "I really wish none of this had to happen, but now that it has, in a way, I'm kind of glad it did you know?"

"Glad?" Mike asked him. Kevin just nodded.

"I know Mia and I are good together, but I've always felt like she held back." Kevin told him. "I understand why knowing what I do, but since this...I feel like we've gotten a lot closer. I really feel like we totally get each other."

Mike just smiled when he heard Kevin say that.

"You know, I still don't know how you managed to stay so restrained." Mike assured him. "I mean, you did dump his ass on the pavement, but I doubt any of us would have blamed you if you took it further."

"Believe me; your idea of digging a hole in the garden had crossed my mind." Kevin assured him. "I don't know, but when I got my hands on him, all I could think about was the fact Mia was there, and suddenly what I wanted didn't seem so important. I just wanted to do what was right for her."

"I don't know if there's any way I can say this without sounding patronising, but I'm proud of you man." Mike assured him. "It says a lot about how much Mia means to you."

"Besides, I got to kick your ass for a while." Kevin told him. Just then, there was a knock on the door and Antonio came in.

"Guys, dinner's going to be ready in a few." He told them. He gestured to the door. "Mentor asked me to tell you so you could both get cleaned up."

"Sure, we'll do that." Mike told him. As Kevin and Mike started to head for the door, Mia came in. Kevin stopped by her, looking to her thoughtfully.

"Are you alright?" He asked her. She just nodded as she looked to him.

"I will be." She assured him.

"Sorry about that business with Aaron." Kevin told her. "I know I shouldn't..."

"It's alright Kevin, I understand." She told him. "Antonio, can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Uh...sure thing." Antonio replied. Kevin kissed her and went with Mike out of the room. Mia just looked to the Gold Ranger as he waited to see what she wanted.

"Do you have the Black Box?" She asked him. He just nodded.

"Mia..."

"I think I'm ready." She told him. He pulled out the Black Box and his morpher, and knelt on the mat, getting ready as Mia took a few deep breaths to prepare herself. She knelt down slowly.

"Mia, I know I keep telling you to be open." Antonio stated. "After today, I don't know if it's such a good idea. If you want to wait..."

"I didn't tell you the whole story about the baby." She interrupted him.

"Wait, baby?" Antonio asked her. He had noticed something subtle about what she had said. She didn't refer to it as a pregnancy. "You mean...?"

"I had a son." She confirmed as she held onto her Turtle Disk, looking down to it. "He was a little over two months premature."

Antonio could see her Power Disk starting to glow, and realised that it was unlocking itself as she relayed what had happened. He tapped a few keys on his own morpher to start up the process.

"Evan was really small, and there was something wrong with his lungs." She continued. "They did everything they could but he just wasn't strong enough."

Antonio listened to her as the beam connecting his morpher to the Power Disk finally did its work. The Turtle no longer resisted his attempts to coax it, giving itself willingly to the process. As it transferred itself to the morpher, Antonio aimed it at the Black Box and started the transfer. The room was bathed in light, and they both watched on as the Turtle flew from his morpher to the Black Box. As the light dissipated and the process completed, Antonio looked to Mia, seeing the way she was looking at him.

"Mia, I'm sorry." He whispered, his heart breaking for her. He simply couldn't imagine what it had been like for her to face that. It made him despise what Aaron had done all the more, knowing that she had faced that alone.

She just drew in, hugging the Gold Ranger. He wrapped his arms around her, comforting her, but ultimately grateful that she had opened up to him. Not only did it mean he now finally had all the disks programmed into the Black Box, it also meant that she had finally allowed her friends to share her burden.

Later that night at the homeless shelter, Aaron was sitting on the edge of one of the beds, his head in his hands. It had been a long time since he had seen or spoken to Mia, and a lot had changed for him in that time. He had never imagined that he would ever see her again.

He had been barely more than a kid himself; they were both only kids when they had gone to the Prom together, the night that had changed both of their lives.

He had always been into music, and his band was starting to make headway, getting bookings in numerous venues. They were planning to go on tour after graduation, having secured bookings in other towns, but a couple of weeks before he was due to go, Mia had dropped the bombshell that she was expecting his child. It was not his proudest moment, what happened next. Instead of facing up to his responsibilities, he had turned on her, aiming to leave to chase his dream of stardom and never look back. His dream hadn't worked out though, the reason he was back in town, busking for the change that strangers were willing to spare to feed himself instead of headlining the world's great arenas.

It was then that he looked to his guitar and picked it up, starting to tune it, before looking through his case for some sheet music. One of the shelter attendants came over, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry sir, but lights out is in a few minutes." He told him. "I'm going to have to ask you to put that away."

Aaron just sighed and nodded, putting the guitar and the sheet music back in its case, sliding it under the bed. He lay down, pulling his sheet over himself as he turned over onto his side, trying to sleep, but as the lights turned out; he just stared at the wall, unable to sleep. All he could think about was Mia, and the terrible wrong he had done to her.

Fin.


End file.
